Electricity powered by blockchain: A review with a European perspective

in Applied Energy (2022), 325

Blockchain is no longer just a hype technology, and effective blockchain applications exist in many industries. Yet, few blockchain projects have been successful in Europe’s energy systems. To identify ... [more ▼]

Blockchain is no longer just a hype technology, and effective blockchain applications exist in many industries. Yet, few blockchain projects have been successful in Europe’s energy systems. To identify the reasons for this slow progress, we reviewed the recent energy literature regarding the use of blockchain, analyzed industry reports, and interviewed experts who have conducted blockchain projects in Europe’s energy systems. Our analysis reveals eight common use cases, their expected benefits, and the challenges encountered. We find that the expected benefits are often little more than generic hopes, largely outweighed by technological, organizational, and regulatory challenges. The identified challenges are significant and numerous, especially for peer-to-peer trading and microgrid use cases. The fact that few projects have yet provided robust evidence for profitable use suggests there is still a rocky road ahead. Moreover, many use cases appear to require more than just blockchain technology to succeed. In particular, privacy and scalability requirements often call for systems in which blockchains only take a backseat. This realization may be essential for the future use of blockchain technology in energy systems – in Europe and beyond. [less ▲]

The Role of Cultural Fit in the Adoption of Fashionable IT: A Blockchain Case Study

in Forty-Third International Conference on Information Systems (2022, October)

Investments in fashionable IT do not make organizations more successful than investments in less fashionable alternatives. Many organizations nevertheless associate with fashionable IT to signal ... [more ▼]

Investments in fashionable IT do not make organizations more successful than investments in less fashionable alternatives. Many organizations nevertheless associate with fashionable IT to signal compliance with norms of progress and rationality. These decisions can be risky as fashionable IT is often surrounded by wishful and unbalanced discourse, especially in the ‘fashion up-swing’. Engagement with fashionable IT thus requires the ability to navigate hype narratives and fit the new technology into the adopting organization. Fit needs to be established in many regards, such as political and technological. In this paper, we explore a third and so far, understudied perspective: cultural fit between the values attributed to the fashionable IT through the fashion discourse and those of the recipient organizational context. Through an inductive case study of two blockchain projects, we find that cultural fit can equally be an important determinant for successful adoption of fashionable IT. Moreover, we develop a process theory for how cultural fit can be established through a process of cultural sensemaking and dissonance reduction along two recursive pathways. Adopting organizations can change their implementation of fashionable IT systems and re-frame the narratives surrounding them to fit their organization’s cultural values. Alternatively, they can transform their local or overarching organizational culture by integrating values attributed to the fashionable IT. Overall, we contribute a much-needed organizational culture perspective to IT fashions and extend the discussions on IT cultural conflict. [less ▲]

User-centricity and Public Values in eGovernment: Friend or Foe?

in Proceedings of the 30th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS) (2022, July)

In their delivery of services, public administrations seek to develop a ‘citizen-centric’ approach. Concomitantly, user-centricity is emerging as a widely accepted construct for Web 3.0 applications ... [more ▼]

In their delivery of services, public administrations seek to develop a ‘citizen-centric’ approach. Concomitantly, user-centricity is emerging as a widely accepted construct for Web 3.0 applications supporting the digital interaction between service providers and recipients. The digitalization of public services can positively impact important public values, such as efficiency and transparency. However, the digital divide highlights that information and communication technologies can simultaneously neglect public needs. This begs the question of whether user-centricity reflects or conflicts with public values. To answer this question, we present a systematic review of existing literature on user-centricity and public values. The contribution of this paper is an extended taxonomy of public values for user-centricity, as well as recommendations for public policy to address conflicts between public values and user-centricity. [less ▲]

Guiding Refugees Through European Bureaucracy: Designing a Trustworthy Mobile App for Document Management

in Drechsler, A.; Gerber, A.; Hevner, A. (Eds.) The Transdisciplinary Reach of Design Science Research. DESRIST 2022 (2022, May 25)

After being granted asylum in European countries, refugees need to go through a multitude of administrative processes before they can participate in society. However, these processes are often challenging ... [more ▼]

After being granted asylum in European countries, refugees need to go through a multitude of administrative processes before they can participate in society. However, these processes are often challenging, as refugees struggle to understand them, lack instructions for managing paperwork, and do not possess the required language skills. Prior research emphasizes the role of information and communication technologies to simplify and enable refugee-friendly administrative processes. However, recent research and existing applications mainly focus on information retrieval and do not offer assistance for understanding official letters, completing administrative forms, and managing corresponding documents. Furthermore, refugees are often reluctant to use existing applications as they do not trust their host country’s governments and public authorities. In this research, we aim to address this functional and trust gap. We follow a design science research approach to develop a design for a refugee-centric and trustworthy mobile application that assists refugees along administrative processes. In doing so, we identify three design principles that may guide the development of such applications for refugees. [less ▲]

Blockchain as a driving force for federalism: A theory of cross-organizational task-technology fit

in International Journal of Information Management (2022)

Love at First Sight? A User Experience Study of Self-Sovereign Identity Wallets

in 30th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2022) (2022)

Today’s systems for digital identity management exhibit critical security, efficiency, and privacy issues. A new paradigm, called Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI), addresses these shortcomings by equipping ... [more ▼]

Today’s systems for digital identity management exhibit critical security, efficiency, and privacy issues. A new paradigm, called Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI), addresses these shortcomings by equipping users with mobile wallets and empowering them to manage their digital identities. Various companies and governments back this paradigm and promote its development and diffusion. User experience often plays a subordinate role in these efforts, even though it is crucial for user satisfaction and adoption. We thus conduct a comprehensive user experience study of four prominent SSI wallets using a mixed-method approach that involves moderated and remote interviews and the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ). We find that the examined wallets already provide a decent level of user experience, yet further improvements need to be done. In particular, the examined wallets do not make their novelty and benefits sufficiently apparent to users. Our analysis contributes to user experience research and offers guidance for SSI practitioners. [less ▲]

The privacy challenge in the race for digital vaccination certificates

in Med (2021)