SUPPORTING THE SENSEMAKING AND ADOPTION OF HUMAN-AI COLLABORATION

<p><strong>Organizations are undergoing significant changes in the nature of work they perform due to rapid shifts in workplace dynamics and technological advancements. While it is important to acknowledge the role of technology in integrating these advancements into work practices, it is equally essential to holistically understand what other factors, beyond technology, are crucial in facilitating the adoption of these new technologies. Despite the growing interest in Human-AI Collaboration (HAIC) among organizations, many face uncertainty in understanding its potential benefits, risks, obstacles, and other key considerations for integrating it into existing workflows. This interest has been further amplified by the recent introduction of generative AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, which mimic human-like interactions. However, organizations continue to struggle due to a lack of proper insights to identify potential obstacles, evaluate the impact of HAIC, and determine how best to integrate it into their operations.</strong></p><p>Considering HAIC as a pivotal development in the changing nature of work, this thesis explores and deepens the understanding of HAIC in detail, focusing on its layers of change, sensemaking and adoption. While there is growing interest in adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI), there remains a limited understanding of how organizations approach the change, sensemaking and adoption of HAIC within their workflows. Existing studies predominantly emphasize technological advancements, with limited focus on how humans and AI can collaborate effectively by leveraging their complementary skills in the workplace. Furthermore, although some studies highlight enablers for HAIC, such as technological developments, there is insufficient attention given to a comprehensive overview of obstacles and the organizational changes required for its successful adoption.</p><p>This study seeks to address these research gaps by conducting empirical research through case study analysis, providing qualitative insights to enhance the understanding of change, sensemaking and adoption of HAIC. It explores and extends the understanding of how organizations approach changes required for HAIC by identifying signs of change in the workplace resulting from recent transformations (adoption of remote work) to examine the socio-technical interplay. Additionally, it investigates how organizations can use HAIC use cases to support prospective sensemaking by anticipating the impact of emerging technologies like AI, enabling them to make informed decisions about AI adoption by understanding its strategic value. To deepen the understanding of HAIC adoption, this study examines the obstacles organizations face in adopting HAIC. To achieve this, this research aims to answer two research questions: How can organizations make sense of Human-AI Collaboration (RQ1) and What are the obstacles to the adoption of Human-AI Collaboration? (RQ2). To address these questions, this thesis comprises four interrelated studies. The first study is a systematic literature review that examines workplace changes driven by the adoption of remote (or hybrid) work, positioning it as a precursor to HAIC. Richter and Richter (2024) reconceptualize hybrid work beyond its traditional definition, which only includes in-person and remote arrangements. They emphasize the importance of considering the impact of HAIC and other virtual technologies on work models. Hence, they argue that hybrid work should also encompass AI integration to better understand how humans and AI interact in both physical and virtual environments. Based on this conceptualization, the signs of change observed in the adoption of remote work serve as both a historical and conceptual precedent, helping to draw parallels between remote work adoption and the anticipated adoption of HAIC. Building on the first study, the second study is an empirical investigation of the layers of change in a case study, exploring the parallel evolution of technological, work practice, and cultural layers within organizations essential for HAIC adoption. The transition to remote work provides a valuable precedent for understanding how organizations navigate technological shifts with the support of social factors. The insights gained from this transformation inform the analysis of the layers of change in HAIC adoption, which represents the next stage in workplace evolution. Focusing on the same case study, the third study delves deeper into how HAIC use cases can support prospective sensemaking within organizations, aiding in a better understanding of HAIC adoption. Since HAIC adoption may be hindered by various obstacles, the fourth study identifies key barriers and provides recommendations to address these challenges.</p><p>This thesis identifies key findings across several areas. Firstly, it provides insights into potential workplace changes by adopting a socio-technical approach to envision hybrid work. These signs of change in the adoption of remote work serve as a model for understanding HAIC adoption. Based on the insights gained from this transformation, analysis of HAIC considers multiple dimensions of organizational change to thoroughly examine executives’ expectations regarding the reconfiguration of technology, its integration into work practices, and the development of a supportive organizational culture—all of which are critical for the successful adoption of HAIC. Additionally, the study highlights how HAIC use cases can support prospective sensemaking by analyzing these use cases across various functional areas and group tasks. This structured understanding helps organizations identify where and how HAIC can add strategic value while balancing the opportunities and risks associated with its implementation. Secondly, the study identifies key obstacles to HAIC adoption, categorizing them into knowledge, skills, and attitudes to provide a holistic overview. It offers recommendations to overcome these challenges through low-road, high-road, and transformative integrations. This research contributes to both the theory and practice of knowledge related to HAIC by addressing prevailing research gaps and expanding the understanding of its change, sensemaking and adoption. Theoretically, it provides insights by exploring the sensemaking of HAIC, identifying the change dimensions required for its adoption and their interplay, presenting a comprehensive overview of obstacles to adoption. Practically, it offers several key contributions. First, it presents an overview of the technological, work practice, and cultural changes necessary for HAIC adoption. Second, it provides a structured matrix that helps organizations understand how HAIC can be applied across various business functions and collaborative tasks, supporting their sensemaking and strategic AI implementation. Third, it introduces a framework for organizations to identify obstacles and derive recommendations for effectively adopting HAIC. The findings of this study are significant for various stakeholders, including researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, as they advance the understanding of HAIC while helping organizations navigate the complexities of HAIC in modern workplaces. This study not only deepens the understanding of sensemaking and adoption of HAIC but also bridges the gap between theory and practice by supporting the integration of AI into organizational workflows, facilitating effective human-AI collaboration.</p>