本文精选了信息系统领域国际顶刊《Journal of the Association for Information Systems》近期发表的论文，提供信息系统研究领域最新的学术动态。

Feedback Loops in Machine Learning: A Study on the Interplay of Continuous Updating and Human Discrimination

原刊和作者：

Journal of the Association for Information Systems Volume 25, Issue 4

Kevin Bauer （University of Mannheim）

Rebecca Heigl （Goethe University Frankfurt）

Oliver Hinz （Goethe University Frankfurt）

Michael Kosfeld （Goethe University Frankfurt）

Abstract

Machine learning (ML) models often endogenously shape the data available for future updates. This is important because of their role in influencing human decisions, which then generate new data points for training. For instance, if an ML prediction results in the rejection of a loan application, the bank forgoes the opportunity to record the applicant’s actual creditworthiness, thereby impacting the availability of this data point for future model updates and potentially affecting the model’s performance. This paper delves into the relationship between the continuous updating of ML models and algorithmic discrimination in environments where predictions endogenously influence the creation of new training data. Using comprehensive simulations based on secondary empirical data, we examine the dynamic evolution of an ML model’s fairness and economic consequences in a setting that mirrors sequential interactions, such as loan approval decisions. Our findings indicate that continuous updating can help mitigate algorithmic discrimination and enhance economic efficiency over time. Importantly, we provide evidence that human decision makers in the loop who possess the authority to override ML predictions may impede the self-correction of discriminatory models and even induce initially unbiased models to become discriminatory with time. These findings underscore the complex sociotechnological nature of algorithmic discrimination and highlight the role that humans play in addressing it when ML models undergo continuous updating. Our results have important practical implications, especially considering the impending regulations mandating human involvement in ML-supported decision-making processes.

Link: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol25/iss4/9

Power as “Present-in-Actions” in Mundane Information Systems Work

原刊和作者：

Journal of the Association for Information Systems Volume 25, Issue 4

Boyka Simeonova （University of Leicester）

Paul R. Kelly （University of Essex）

Stan Karanasios （University of Queensland）

Robert D. Galliers （Bentley University）

Abstract

The information systems (IS) field has not consistently dealt with the importance of power in theory, research, or practice, because of epistemological and theoretical challenges for studying power in IS. In responding to these issues, we develop an accessible “power-sensitive” framework, using the episodic/systemic view of power and an activity theory (AT) view of organizational practices. We draw on two cases of IS work. Case 1 focuses on information technology (IT) organizations in Bulgaria, and Case 2 focuses on a global development sector nongovernmental organization (NGO) in Thailand. While much of the IS literature emphasizes cutting-edge innovations, this paper highlights mundane yet widespread IS applications such as email and spreadsheets. We elaborate on lessons learned from the cases and develop a power-sensitive framework to support IS researchers and practitioners seeking to acknowledge power in different IS contexts. The paper has two main aims and contributions: to illustrate how power can be articulated using the episodic/systemic view and AT by providing a more dynamic perspective that goes beyond traditional views of power as possessive, hierarchical, and static, and to deploy the cases strategically as part of a broader call for more consideration of power in IS research, illustrating the important insights such a focus can provide. We argue against simply ignoring power or considering it as a “nuisance” in IS research. Instead, we argue that power is endemic to IS work and an integral aspect of everyday IS practices. We characterize this view of power as “present-in-actions” in IS.

Link: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol25/iss4/8

The Influence of Political Skill and Community Capabilities on Microtask Worker Hourly Wage: A Mixed Methods Study of Mechanical Turk

原刊和作者：

Journal of the Association for Information Systems Volume 25, Issue 4

Paul M. Di Gangi （University of Alabama at Birmingham）

Jack L. Howard （University of Alabama at Birmingham）

Charn P. McAllister （Northern Arizona University）

Jason Bennett Thatcher （University of Colorado Boulder）

Abstract

Microlabor markets engage workers in temporary employment contracts to complete short-duration tasks for micropayments. Because microlabor platforms often preclude worker interaction, independent microtasking communities have emerged to allow workers to exchange ideas and interact to improve their work performance. Research has yet to take an in-depth look at how workers utilize microtasking communities to mitigate unpaid coordination costs to improve their financial productivity. The present study uses political skill as a theorizing lens to investigate how microtask workers utilize the capabilities of these communities that influence their ability to avoid financial marginalization. Using pseudo-ethnography and thematic analysis, we employed a sequential mixed methods design to identify how community capabilities and ideological beliefs influence worker performance. These insights then informed the design of an empirical study using survey data from 253 Amazon Mechanical Turk workers who use microtasking communities to test our research model. We found that politically skilled individuals use community capabilities, subsequently influencing their hourly wage. We also found that microtasking ideology weakens the effects of political skill on community capabilities and their influence on hourly wages. We discuss several contributions to the political skill and microtask literature.

Link: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol25/iss4/7

Human-Centered Design and Evaluation of a NeuroIS Tool for Flow Support

原刊和作者：

Journal of the Association for Information Systems Volume 25, Issue 4

Marc T.P. Adam （The University of Newcastle）

Lukas Bonenberger （Augsburg Technical University of Applied Sciences）

Henner Gimpel （University of Hohenheim）

Julia Lanzl （University of Hohenheim）

Abstract

Flow is a mental state in which a person is fully immersed and actively involved in a task, even during extrinsically motivated activities at work. IT-mediated interruptions can disrupt flow, with ramifications for workers’ well-being and work performance. In this design science research paper, we develop and evaluate design knowledge for neuroadaptive flow support systems. Building on foundations in flow theory, we conduct expert interviews and present a conceptual framework, three meta-requirements, and five design principles for flow support systems. We then implement the design principles in three prototypes and evaluate these prototypes in a lab experiment and a field study. With this paper on flow and IT-mediated interruptions in the work domain, we present an approach toward flow support systems that enable intelligent interruption management.

Link: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol25/iss4/6

Effective Intervention in User Adaptation: A 2×2 Coping Framework Entailing Implementation and Contextual Factors

Journal of the Association for Information Systems Volume 25, Issue 4

Yue (Katherine) Feng （Hong Kong Polytechnic University）

Nadia Yin Yu （NEOMA Business School）

Kar Yan Tam （Hong Kong University of Science and Technology）

Michael C. Lai （Hong Kong University of Science and Technology）

Abstract

Despite the proliferation of information technology applications worldwide, successful technology implementation in organizations remains a formidable challenge. Whether organizations can actualize the benefits of new technology depends critically on how end users evaluate and cope with it. Various intervention practices have been proven to be effective in facilitating user adaptation in the existing literature. However, research that systematically examines the impacts of intervention practices across implementation stages and usage contexts is still rare. Leveraging coping theory, we propose a 2×2 framework under the conditions of pre-/post-implementation stages and mandatory/voluntary usage contexts to investigate how various intervention practices adjust user appraisals of new technology via different coping mechanisms. We then extend the investigation into the downstream job outcomes and make comparisons of relevant relationships across usage contexts. Our empirical findings from two unique organizational settings, featured opposite degrees of usage voluntariness, support consistently significant effects of intervention practices, beliefs updating, and effects of usage behavior on job outcomes in both contexts while suggesting nuanced differences between the two contexts. Our research sheds light on how to manage technology implementations and help users cope with the change effectively in different contexts via various intervention practices in the technology implementation process.

Link: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol25/iss4/5