Motivating creativity through a computer-mediated employee suggestion management system

This paper describes the requirements for an automated employee suggestion management system (ESMS) based on expectancy theory and computer-mediated communications. Although research has found that suggestion systems can be a useful way to obtain and utilize employees' creative ideas, effective suggestion management systems must also motivate employees to think creatively and to participate in the suggestion process. According to expectancy theory, employees are most strongly motivated to participate when they believe that they can do so successfully and when they know that their participation will result in an outcome that they value. The system proposed here addresses the requirements of expectancy theory, and the weaknesses of existing suggestion systems, by establishing a communications infrastructure and protocol similar to those used in group decision support systems. The system motivates employees to submit suggestions by providing an interactive networked forum within which employees and interested stakeholders can openly debate their merits.     

Work environments for employee creativity

Innovative organisations need creative employees who generate new ideas for product or process innovation. This paper presents a conceptual framework for the effect of personal, social-organisational and physical factors on employee creativity. Based on this framework, an instrument to analyse the extent to which the work environment enhances creativity is developed. This instrument was applied to a sample of 409 employees and support was found for the hypothesis that a creative work environment enhances creative performance. This paper illustrates how the instrument can be used in companies to select and implement improvements. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: The ergonomics discipline addresses the work environment mainly for improving health and safety and sometimes productivity and quality. This paper opens a new area for ergonomics: designing work environments for enhancing employee creativity in order to strengthen an organisation's capability for product and process innovation and, consequently, its competitiveness.     

Constructing social systems through computer-mediated communication

The question of whether computer-mediated communication can support the formation of genuine social systems is addressed in this paper. Our hypothesis, that technology creates new forms of social systems beyond real-life milieus, includes the idea that the technology itself may influence how social binding emerges within online environments. In real-life communities, a precondition for social coherence is the existence of social conventions. By observing interaction in virtual environments, we found the use of a range of social conventions. These results were analysed to determine how the use and emergence of conventions might be influenced by the technology. One factor contributing to the coherence of online social systems, but not the only one, appears to be the degree of social presence mediated by the technology. We suggest that social systems can emerge by computer-mediated communication and are shaped by the media of the specific environment.     

Constructing a decision support system for management of employee turnover risk

In the time of knowledge economy, competency among enterprises is focused on the competency of human resources. Employee turnover risk is becoming an important facet influencing the stability and development of enterprises. After analyzing employee turnover risk factors that could threaten enterprise production and operations, we proposed a multi-level model of the evaluation system for employee turnover risk based on the analysis of factors influencing employee turnover risk. A decision support system is proposed for employee turnover risk management using message processing mechanisms and software combination technology and system integration. Data, information and knowledge needed in the system come from enterprises?? internal application systems and external systems. The structure and components of the system which is based on Web Services are presented. We also proposed an analytic system based on knowledge management. At last, strategies to effectively manage employee turnover risk are proposed.     

A study of breakdowns and repairs in a computer-mediated communication system

There have been few naturalistic studies of synchronous computer-mediated communication. For two years a telewriting system was used for tutoring students at the UK Open University, connecting up to ten study centres and adding graphic communication to voice-only teleconferencing. This paper presents the findings of a study of the operation of the system, concentrating on breakdowns in communication and the technical and organisational changes needed to overcome them. The paper concludes with recommendations for the design of future telewriting systems and guidelines for the deployment of computer-mediated communication systems as part of working life.     

供暖收费及员工激励管理系统的设计与实现

基于目前北方的供暖企业正逐步实现分户供暖的现状和需求,文章设计并实现了可以进行灵活收费并根据收费情况对收费员按月计提奖金的管理信息系统。该系统采用C／S的体系结构,通过虚拟专用网络(Virtual Private Network,VPN)技术实现了总部与分支部门之间的数据传送,以及供暖企业业务收费与员工激励的集成管理。     

The development of a disaster management support system through prototyping

The authors discuss the development of a disaster management decision support system through the use of a prototyping strategy. The system was designed to aid a Regional Emergency Medical Organization in establishing an effective means of dealing with multiple casualty emergencies. Prototyping proved to be an appropriate development approach, promoting a high level of user involvement and interest in a setting where tasks were somewhat ill-structured and the problem and associated decision rules not well understood. The authors conjecture that their approach will work well in the development of similar systems for other crisis on disaster managers. The limitations of the study are also discussed.     

Productivity through computer management of a fully automated transportation system

The Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit System is a fully automated, collection and distribution, origin to destination, non-stop transportation system. The system consists of a feet of 73 electrically powered, rubber tired, passenger carrying vehicles, operating on a dedicated guideway network at 15 second headways. The system provides a safe, comfortable non-polluting, reliable means of public transportation between the Central Business District of Morgantown, West Virginia, and the three separated campuses of West Virginia University.

This paper will address the unique application of computers in operating a public transit system which is considered the first of its kind anywhere in the world.     

在PKI体系下进行电子政务信息的安全管理

首先介绍了电子政务网络的结构,其次分析了PKI体系,最后提出了利用PKI技术,在电子政务网中的内网、外网、以及通过internet访问内网时如何实现信息的安全管理。     

Enhancing creativity through reorganising mental space concealed in a research notes stack

In this article, we propose a method and its implementation to aid the process of creative thinking. The objective of this research is to enhance human scientific creativity with computers. In order to aid the process of creative thinking, we have implemented a system named En Passant 2, which stores the user’s research notes and gives the triggers to recall his/her memories in current context. En Passant 2 has a function to deal with indices and a time attribute of the user’s thought explicitly, and shows the user’s notepads related to his/her awareness of the issues.     

Standing in others' shoes: The role of leader prosocial motivation in facilitating employee creativity

By reference to social learning theory, this research examines the effect of leader prosocial motivation on employee creativity through investigating the mediating role of employee perspective taking and the moderating role of leader performance. Using a dyadic sample of 262 subordinates and their direct supervisors, the results reveal that leader prosocial motivation positively relates to employee perspective taking and employee perspective taking can mediate the correlation of leader prosocial motivation with employee creativity. Meanwhile, leader performance can moderate the correlation of leader prosocial motivation with employee perspective taking. Moreover, the perspective taking's mediating role between leader prosocial motivation and employee creativity can be moderated by leader performance. Finally, according to the findings and limitations of the study, its future research and managerial implications are discussed.     

Motivating Creativity and Enhancing Innovation through Employee Suggestion System Technology

Research has found that employee suggestion systems are a useful way to obtain and utilize employees’ creative ideas. To be effective, employees must be motivated to think creatively and to participate in the suggestion system. Unfortunately, motivating employees to participate is a common weakness of suggestion systems. Motivating employees involves more than simply offering rewards to submitters if their suggestions are put to use. According to expectancy theory, rewards will only motivate behaviour if the rewards are valued, if they are closely linked to successful performance, and if employees believe that they can perform successfully. This paper applies expectancy theory to the problem of motivating employees to participate in a suggestion system. We describe suggestion system technology that will increase employees’ motivation to think creatively and participate in the system.     

Enterprise social networking usage as a moderator of the relationship between work stressors and employee creativity: A multilevel study

Enterprise social networking (ESN) techniques have been widely adopted by organizations to provide a platform for public communication among employees. Based on the job demand–control–support model and communication visibility theory, this study investigates how the relationships between the perceived work stressors of employees (i.e., challenge and hindrance stressors) and their creativity are moderated by team task- and relationship-oriented ESN usage. We used the hierarchical linear model to test this multilevel model. Results of a survey of 260 employees in 72 groups indicate that two ESN usage types differentially moderate the relationship between work stressors and employee creativity. Specifically, task-oriented ESN usage positively moderates the effects of the two types of stressors on employee creativity, whereas relationship-oriented ESN usage negatively moderates the relationship between hindrance stressors and employee creativity. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.     

Appropriate computer-mediated communication: An Australian indigenous information system case study

This article discusses ways to operationalise the concept of culturally appropriate computer-mediated communication, utilising information systems (IS) development methodologies and adopting a postmodern and postcolonial perspective. By way of illustration, it describes progress on the participative development of the Ieramugadu Cultural Information System. This project is designed to develop and evaluate innovative procedures for elicitation, analysis, storage and communication of indigenous cultural heritage information. It is investigating culturally appropriate IS design techniques, multimedia approaches and ways to ensure protection of secret/sacred information. Ethical issues are foregrounded.     

Computer-assisted creativity: Emulation of cognitive processes on a multi-agent system

For creativity to be computed, it is paramount to understand the cognitive processes involved, which have been elucidated by either surveying creative people or discovering regions of the human brain that activate during creative endeavors. From this scattering, the author proposes a holistic framework to describe them and their interaction. Hence, creativity can be regarded as a meta process which coordinates autonomous cognitive processes such as planning or divergent thinking. To represent the interplay of cognitive processes around creativity, models are developed in the Agent Unified Modeling Language (AUML). Then, the execution of each process is delegated to autonomous agents and a global coordination protocol is devised. The implementation of the MAS is done on the JADE platform. Two modules of the resultant system are exemplified: opus planning and divergent exploration. The coordination protocol is also presented. The domain in which the software system is tested is the creation of musical pieces.     

Improving problem solving and creativity through use of complex-dynamic simulations

This article presents an instructional method to improve problem solving and creativity by employing computer-based simulations. The instructional method described is based upon empirical research conducted by the authors. The simulation presents contextually meaningful problem situations that require learners to analyze and prepare solution proposal(s). Following the learner input, the simulation assesses the proposal and offers back to the learners the consequences of their decisions while also iteratively updating the situational conditions. This type of simulation, unlike conventional simulations that are used for acquisition of knowledge, is complex-dynamic, requiring the learner to fully employ their knowledge base by constructing solutions to domain-specific problems. The focus of complex-dynamic simulations is to improve and elaborate learner cognitive abilities employed in the service of problem solving and creativity.     

Contextuality and computer-mediated communication: a cross cultural comparison

The purpose of this study is to assess the applicability of Hall’s cultural dimension of contextuality to computer-mediated communication (CMC) in internet forums. A content analysis of 376 postings from German (a low-context culture) and Indian (a high-context culture) internet forums was conducted. The results partially validate the explanatory power of contextuality. Congruent with Hall’s cultural perspective, it was found that Indians disclose less private information in online discussions than Germans. Furthermore, Indians used more emoticons than their German counterparts, reflecting the higher importance of nonverbal communication in high-context cultures.     

Face-to-face versus computer-mediated communication in a primary school setting

Computer-mediated communication is increasingly being used to support cooperative problem solving and decision making in schools. Despite the large body of literature on cooperative or collaborative learning, few studies have explicitly compared peer learning in face-to-face (FTF) versus computer-mediated communication (CMC) situations. In the present study, the effects of the use of cooperative FTF groups versus and CMC groups on the interactive behavior and task performance of 42 dyads of sixth grade Dutch primary school students working collaboratively on a mathematics task were examined. The results show the FTF dyads to provide significantly more high-level elaborations than the CMC dyads when solving the mathematics problems. In contrast, the CMC dyads provided about three times as many regulative utterances and about twice as many affective utterances as the FTF dyads. The FTF dyads attained higher performance scores than the CMC dyads, and they were also relatively more satisfied with their cooperation.