TY - Generic T1 - Impacts of the Use of Machine Learning on Work Design T2 - 8th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction Y1 - 2020 A1 - Kevin Crowston A1 - Bolici, Francesco KW - artificial intelligence KW - automation KW - Coordination KW - machine learning KW - work design AB -

The increased pervasiveness of technological advancements in automation makes it urgent to address the question of how work is changing in response. Focusing on applications of machine learning (ML) to automate information tasks, we draw on a simple framework for identifying the impacts of an automated system on a task that suggests 3 patterns for the use of ML—decision support, blended decision making and complete automation. In this paper, we extend this framework by considering how automation of one task might have implications for interdependent tasks and how automation applies to coordination mechanisms.

JF - 8th International Conference on Human-Agent Interaction PB - ACM CY - Virtual Event, NSW, Australia SN - 978-1-4503-8054-6/20/11 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Impacts of machine learning on work T2 - Proceedings of the 52nd Hawai'i International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-52) Y1 - 2019 A1 - Kevin Crowston A1 - Bolici, Francesco KW - artificial intelligence KW - automation KW - machine learning KW - work design AB -

The increased pervasiveness of technological advancements in automation makes it urgent to address the question of how work is changing in response. Focusing on applications of machine learning (ML) that automate information tasks, we present a simple framework for identifying the impacts of an automated system on a task. From an analysis of popular press articles about ML, we develop 3 patterns for the use of ML--decision support, blended decision making and complete automation--with implications for the kinds of tasks and systems. We further consider how automation of one task might have implications for other interdependent tasks. Our main conclusion is that designers have a range of options for systems and that automation of tasks is not the same as automation of work.

JF - Proceedings of the 52nd Hawai'i International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-52) CY - Wailea, HI UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10125/60031 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Work features to support stigmergic coordination in distributed teams Y1 - 2017 A1 - Kevin Crowston A1 - James Howison A1 - Bolici, Francesco A1 - Carsten Østerlund KW - Coordination KW - Stigmergy AB -

When work products are shared via a computer system, members of distributed teams can see the work products produced by remote colleagues as easily as those from local colleagues. Drawing on coordination theory and work in computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), we theorize that these work products can provide information to support team coordination, that is, that work can be coordinated through the outcome of the work itself, a mode of coordination analogous to the biological process of stigmergy. Based on studies of documents and work, we postulate three features of work products that enable them to support team coordination, namely having a clear genre, being visible and mobile, and being combinable. These claims are illustrated with examples drawn from free/libre open source software development teams. We conclude by discussing how the proposed theory might be empirically tested.

JF - Academy of Management Annual Meeting ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Stigmergic coordination in FLOSS development teams: Integrating explicit and implicit mechanisms JF - Cognitive Systems Research Y1 - 2016 A1 - Bolici, Francesco A1 - James Howison A1 - Kevin Crowston KW - Coordination KW - Stigmergy VL - 38 ER - TY - CONF T1 - Work as coordination and coordination as work: A process perspective on FLOSS development projects T2 - Third International Symposium on Process Organization Studies Y1 - 2011 A1 - Kevin Crowston A1 - Carsten Østerlund A1 - James Howison A1 - Bolici, Francesco JF - Third International Symposium on Process Organization Studies CY - Corfu, Greece UR - http://www.process-symposium.com/ ER - TY - Generic T1 - The under-appreciated role of stigmergic coordination in software development Y1 - 2010 A1 - Bolici, Francesco A1 - James Howison A1 - Kevin Crowston KW - Coordination KW - FLOSS KW - Stigmergy AB -

Coordination in software development teams has been a topic of perennial interest in empirical software engineering research. The vast majority of this literature has drawn on a conceptual separation between work and coordination mechanisms, separate from the work itself, which enable groups to achieve coordination. Traditional recommendations and software methods focused on planning: using analysis to predict and manage dependencies. Empirical research has demonstrated the limits of this approach, showing that many important dependencies are emergent and pointing to the persistent importance of explicit discussion to managing these dependencies as they arise. Drawing on work in Computer-Supported Collaborative Work and building from an analogy to collaboration amongst insects (stigmergy), we argue that the work product itself plays an under-appreciated role in helping software developers manage dependencies as they arise. This short paper presents the conceptual argument with empirical illustrations and explains why this mechanism would have significant implications for Software Engineering coordination research. We discuss issues in marshaling clear positive evidence, arguing that these issues are responsible, in part, for the under-consideration of this mechanism in software engineering and outlining research strategies which may overcome these issues.

ER - TY - CONF T1 - Coordination without discussion? Socio-technical congruence and Stigmergy in Free and Open Source Software projects T2 - 2nd International Workshop on Socio-Technical Congruence, ICSE Y1 - 2009 A1 - Bolici, Francesco A1 - James Howison A1 - Kevin Crowston KW - Coordination KW - FLOSS JF - 2nd International Workshop on Socio-Technical Congruence, ICSE CY - Vancouver, Canada UR - http://docs.google.com/View?id=dhncd3jd_405fzt842gv ER -