Aurelio Ravarini

This study offers a comprehensive understanding of Generative AI’s role in knowledge management and knowledge retention within SMEs, proposing a robust framework that integrates social and technical factors to promote continuous learning and innovation. Despite substantial research on the general impact of AI on knowledge management, there is a notable scarcity of literature focusing specifically on Generative AI and its role in enhancing knowledge retention in SMEs. This gap is critical, given SMEs’ unique challenges, such as limited resources and high employee turnover rates. The research question guiding this study is: “To what extent does Generative AI impact knowledge retention in SMEs?”.
The article employs a socio-technical systems framework to analyze the variables influencing knowledge sharing, emphasizing the interplay between individual motivation, organizational support and culture, and technological capability. This approach is complemented by the concept of human-centric digital technology, which focuses on enhancing human capabilities and experiences through technology. Generative AI enhances knowledge management practices by automating processes, analyzing large datasets, and generating new content, thus improving the efficiency and quality of knowledge sharing. It also reduces the administrative burden on employees, fosters a collaborative culture, and provides personalized feedback, thereby increasing individual motivation for knowledge sharing. Furthermore, Generative AI can address the inherent challenges SMEs face in knowledge retention by making critical knowledge easily accessible, reducing the learning curve for new employees, and maintaining operational efficiency. However, it is crucial to manage employees’ perceptions of Generative AI to avoid resistance or sabotage due to fears of redundancy.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic emergency, the number of remote workers has increased exponentially with a large proportion of the workforce operating from home in April 2020. After the first lockdown period, the percentage of remote workers decreased radically, and was estimated to be around 35–40% in 2021. However, doubts and criticisms have arisen as to whether organizations are carrying out remote working practices effectively. Adopting the socio-technical system (STS) perspective, this paper aims to investigate the specific characteristics of remote working in order to identify the major factors which might affect the adoption of agile working, rather than simply remote working, in organizations. A causal-effect path will be depicted to explain the evolution of remote working adoption in organizations, and the need for task and job redesign, business processes reingeneering, innovative eHRM policies, cultural changes, and new organizational roles. The paper describes the new organizational roles, tasks and competences aimed at enabling an effective adoption of agile working in organization.

This paper investigates the managerial competencies played at different phases of digital metamorphosis projects. We define digital metamorphosis as the socio-technical counterpart of digital transformation in organizations, where the former focuses more on people's skills, managerial attitudes and organizational behaviours rather than on mere technology innovation. We applied an instrumental collective case research method, aimed at understanding whether managerial competencies were present and how they configured during projects ranging from consumer services to organizational digitization. We collected data of six digital projects with semi-structured interviews carried out in six companies, featuring heterogeneous sectors, size and technology adoption levels. For each project, we asked which competencies were expected in each project phase, and which of them were observed instead. We recorded relevancy ratings and contextual insights about their successful application during the projects ongoing. We report our findings and discuss them in the vein of questioning concepts like fixed managerial roles, traditional project management and design methods in organizations. We argue that all of these concepts may be challenged by the metamorphosis of practices, people skills, and projects design that the new wind of digital disruption is weaving.

Firms living in a digital disrupting world should continuously understand variables from inside and outside the organization and consequently act efficiently and effectively. This study aims at investigating the role of innovative digital tools to manipulate big data in transforming managers and executives activities, in particular their sense-making (how they interpret data) and decision-making (who is using data and to what extent). A qualitative methodology has been selected to explore how organizations use Business Intelligence (BI)/Data Visualization (DV) tools. A multiple case study approach has been adopted and interviews have been carried in companies belonging to different industries, to investigate how the decision-making process has changed and which benefits and issues have emerged from the use of BI/DV tools. Data collected have been analyzed using the most recent version of Nvivo and within-case and cross-cases analysis have been carried out. The paper suggests four types of roles that BI/DV tools can play, related to a set of organizational characteristics (such as innovation rate of the firm or level of customization of the solution) and provides guidelines for future adoption of these tools.

In this paper, a socio-technical perspective on the roles of Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Digital Officer (CDO) is introduced, and a model of interpretation of their respective roles, their potential interplay and idiosyncrasies is presented and discussed. We start our analysis by proposing a socio-technical model based on typologies of CIOs and IT roles, as well as CIOs and Business Visions, and CIOs and Interpersonal roles taken from the literature, and used as a lens for viewing whether and how CDOs may fit into this model, collaborate with CIOs in pursuing the IT-business alignment vision, or should necessarily clash on the same territory. This model is then used to interpret the results of two empirical analysis about the evolution of CIOs and CDOs roles in Digital Business Transformation scenarios. We carried out interviews directly to CIOs of Italian companies, and use transcripts of online interviews to CDOs of American companies. Both materials deal with the themes of Digital Business Transformation and Strategy, of CIO/CDO’s profiles, and of attitudes toward tech trends such as Big Data, Internet of Things and 3D Printing. Notwithstanding their differences, these voices helped us understand what are the possible futures and configurations of CIO and CDO roles in organizations, in a fast changing innovation scenario like the one emerging from our analysis.