Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how middle managers attempt to enhance internal innovation processes with digital usages. To do so, this research aims to open up an internal innovation process improvement ‘black box’ by looking not only at issues related to digital delivery but also at elements related to innovation culture and leadership. Design/method/approach To fulfill this purpose, this qualitative research develops a case study employing the lenses of middle managers to generate empirical data based on an interpretative approach and an in-depth semi-structured interview methodology. Findings Middle managers' attempt to enhance internal innovation processes with digital usages involves major elements related to influencing people’s mindset, motivating and embracing ideation, as well as collaboration across units leveraged by digital usages. Nonetheless, the core element of the attempt stands for the ability to root the digital tool usages not only at the individual or team level but also at the innovation process level. Contributions This study mainly contributes to theory extension by putting the individual at the heart of the organization's innovativeness culture and enlightening the leadership role of middle managers to influence innovative behaviors to embrace digital tools in the line of the organization’s strategy with major demands for change management. Originality/value By integrating the perspective of middle managers to the conceptual, this case study brings an additional piece to the puzzle of how digital tools nurture the internal innovation processes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to get an understanding of how and when digital tools are used in business management in the construction industry. With a focus on which opportunities digitalization can contribute to creating cohesive business management from a management perspective.  Method: In this study, the abductive research approach has been used. Further, it is a qualitative methodology characterized throughout the study. To be able to have empirical data, there are four candidates in two different companies in the construction industry chosen to be interviewed. These candidates have to be experienced in business management in medium-sized companies. Literature data have been collected from the theory of many previous research studies.  Conclusion: In conclusion, it is claimable that digital tools do help business management in a medium size construction company to make work and communication more efficient. Furthermore, it also helps to entail an increased level of control of behaviour and action. Last but not least, the combination of PAR framework and digital tools has improved motivation, direction and reduced limitations among employees.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the pedagogue´s thoughts about and which strategies the pedagogue´s use to make the digital notepad work as an language development tool in preschool´s daily activities. The study has three questions 1) Which conditions do the pedagogue´s need to be able to use digital notepads as a language development tool in preschool´s daily activities? 2) In which occasions can the digital notepad be used as a language development tool in preschool’s daily activities? 3) What advantages / disadvantages do pedagogues see when using the digital notepads as a language development tool in preschool´s activities. The study was performed in two various preschool’s in two separate municipalities in the middle of Sweden, were three preschool teachers, from each preschool where interviewed by using semi-structured interviews. The results from the interviews showed that the digital notepad under several occasions can be used as a language development tool in preschool´s activities. The respondents saw many advantages and few disadvantages when using the digital notepad as a language development tool. The digital notepad becomes and works as a language developing tool as long as the respondents, have an exploring and challening approach while using the notepad with the children. While education, learning time, pedagogue’s attitude and approach was considered important strategies/preconditions which are needed/contributed for the digital notepad to work as a language development tools in preschool’s daily activites. / Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka pedagogernas tankar om och vilka strategier som pedagogerna använder för att lärplattan kunna fungera som ett språkutvecklande verktyg i förskolans verksamhet. Studien har tre frågeställningar 1) Vad behöver pedagogerna för förutsättningar för att lärplattan ska kunna användas som ett språkutvecklande verktyg i förskolans verksamhet? 2) Under vilka tillfällen kan lärplattan användas som ett språkutvecklande verktyg i förskolans verksamhet? 3) Vilka fördelar/ nackdelar ser pedagogerna med lärplattor som ett språkutvecklande verktyg i förskolans verksamhet? Studien genomfördes på två olika förskolor, i två skilda kommuner i mellersta delen av Sverige. Där tre respondenter ifrån varje förskola intervjuades med intervjuformen, semistrukturerad intervju. I resultatet framgick det att lärplattan under flera tillfällen kan användas som ett språkutvecklande verktyg i förskolans verksamhet och att respondenterna ser många fördelar och endast några få nackdelar med lärplattor som ett språkutvecklande verktyg. Lärplattan blir och fungerar som ett språkutvecklande så länge respondenterna tex är medupptäckande, utforskande och utmanande som pedagog. Även utbildning, vägledning, tid, pedagogernas inställning och förhållningssätt ansågs vara viktiga strategier/förutsättningar som behövdes finnas/tillföras för att lärplattan ska kunna användas och fungera som ett språkutvecklande verktyg i förskolans verksamhet.

Submitted by William Justo Figueiro (williamjf) on 2015-06-30T23:44:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 61.pdf: 2018457 bytes, checksum: 87659d40c85f1ff3eb089013f6de00d0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-30T23:44:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 61.pdf: 2018457 bytes, checksum: 87659d40c85f1ff3eb089013f6de00d0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-01-10 / Nenhuma / Partindo dos pressupostos da teoria sociocultural de L. Vygotsky (1986,1998) e de diversos estudos sobre escrita colaborativa em ambiente digital e erro, esta pesquisa tem como propósito discutir e refletir sobre a escrita colaborativa em língua inglesa quando esta se dá em uma ferramenta digital. Também investiga-se como acontece o processo de edição textual entre os alunos durante a escrita. Considerou-se, ainda, como o feedback negociado do professor pode contribuir para o aprimoramento da produção. Tendo como ponto de partida duas tarefas colaborativas, quatro alunos de um curso livre de língua inglesa, divididos em duplas e frequentando o nível intermediário I, realizaram, em meio virtual, a co-construção de textos. A partir de uma pesquisa qualitativa de estudo de caso, foram considerados para fins de análise as interações no fórum, as alterações armazenadas no histórico, o feedback do professor sobre as produções dos alunos, bem como a visão dos participantes sobre o trabalho desenvolvido. Os dados sugerem que a escrita colaborativa em ferramenta digital fomenta a participação do aluno, gerando oportunidades de construção conjunta de conhecimento através da interação social e do uso da língua antes e durante o processo de escrita. Quanto ao processo de feedback, encontramos evidências de que este, quando negociado entre professor e aluno, contribui para que ele chegue à forma correta com maior consciência sobre o erro, o que poderá possibilitar a utilização adequada da forma em produções futuras. / Based on the assumptions of L. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (1986, 1998) and several studies on collaborative writing in digital environment and error, this research aims to discuss and think over collaborative writing in English when this process is developed by using a digital tool. It also investigates how the process of editing text among students takes place during the development of the written assignments. The present study also considered how teacher's negotiated feedback may contribute to the improvement of students’ production. The research starts by evaluating two collaborative tasks, performed by four students from a free course in English, divided into pairs and attending the intermediate I level. The tasks were carried out in a virtual environment, where students had to construct texts collaboratively. This research is a case study which uses a qualitative method analysis. The interactions in the forum among students, the changes stored in the history tool, the teacher’s feedback on students' productions, as well as the views of the participants about their work were considered for this investigation. The data suggest that collaborative writing using a digital tool fosters student participation, creating opportunities for collaborative construction of knowledge through social interaction and also promotes the use of the target language more effectively before and during the writing process. As for the teacher’s feedback, this research finds that, when it is negotiated between the teacher and the student, it brings higher level of recognition to the learner to reach the correct form with greater awareness about the error, which may allow the use of a proper form in future productions.

Bakgrund: De digitala verktygen ses som en självklar del av samhället, och även de allra flesta barn har en relation till verktygen. Förskolan arbetar utifrån en läroplan som styr vilka strävansmål förskollärarna ska arbeta emot. De digitala verktygen finns inte med som ett av dessa mål. Däremot kan de ses som ett hjälpmedel i arbetet mot lärande och utveckling. Därför är det viktigt att reflektera över syftet med verktygen utifrån det man vill uppnå, med en medvetenhet om att förskolläraren påverkas av olika faktorer som har betydelse för förutsättningar för, och utformning av undervisningen. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att synliggöra hur digitala verktyg används i förskolan. Metod: Semistrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer. Som grund till resultatanalys används begrepp ur ett designteoretiskt multimodalt perspektiv. Resultat: Resultatet visar att förskollärarna ser på och använder digitala verktyg utifrån flera olika syften tillsammans med barnen i förskolan. Kopplingar görs framför allt till dokumentation, men de ses också som användbara i exempelvis undersökande aktiviteter, faktainhämtning och språkutveckling. Kopplingar till barnens framtida behov av digital kompetens görs, men de uppfattas också som en konkurrent till lek, utevistelse och samspel. Faktorer som påverkar användandet kan utifrån resultatet sammanfattas i fyra kategorier: förskollärarnas syn på digitala verktyg, resurser, kunskap och barns intresse.

Due to the pandemic, along with the growth of current technology, working remotely is becoming more feasible. As a result digital nomadism has become a viable alternative as a career. The emerging literature on digital nomadism focuses mainly on lifestyle descriptions, with less attention given to potentially understand digital nomads and their needs (Wang et al. 2018). In this research the author will apply uses and gratification theory to describe the gratifications that motivates digital nomads and their means of communication combined with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to determine if the needs of digital nomads have changed during the course of the pandemic. The aim of this thesis is to provide terminological and philosophical insights on the idea of digital nomads and their future.   Since the start of the pandemic the discussions whether remote work is the future has been fluctuating to say the least. Big companies have introduced a “work from anywhere” model meaning that their employees will have the possibility to choose if they want to be remote after the pandemic (CNBC, 2021). Prior to this, digital nomads were already fully remote. This could be the ideal time and subject to study to gain further understanding if the digital nomad phenomenon has changed. Moreover, if there has been an increase or decrease in interest regarding a remote future while aiming to understand the future remote workforce.

Etablering av projekt som arbetsform har ökat i samband med den snabba samhällsutvecklingen. Byggprojekt plågas ofta av förseningar och kostnadsöverskridande vilket leder till försämrat projektkvalité. Projektbaserade verksamheter styr och leder sina projekt genom specifik och anpassad projektstyrmodell. Att tillämpa styrmodellen genom ett digitalt projektledningsverktyg kan leda till effektivare projektledning inom verksamheten. Digitalisering av projektledning är en följd av den snabba tillväxten av digital teknik som driver organisationer till att förändra sina affärsmodeller radikalt. Denna studie är ämnad åt att ta fram ett kravspecifikationsdokument för implementering av ett digitalt projektledningsverktyg i en kommunal verksamhet. Arbetet kompletteras med undersökning av lyckande grad av ett liknande förändringsarbete i liknande verksamheter. I samband med detta utförs en litteraturstudie för att skapa bredare förståelse av ämnet utveckling av projektledning samt term- och begreppsdefinition. Resultat visar att utveckling av projektledning genom tillämpning av digitalverktyg leder inte direkt till effektivare projektledning. Digitaliseringsarbete lönar sig om det är strukturerat, enligt med verksamhetens behov och kultur samt gynnar verksamhetens strategiska arbete mot sina långsiktiga visioner och målsättningar / Utilization of project as a form of work has increased in connection with the rapid development of society. Construction projects are often plagued by delays and cost overruns, which lead to poor project quality. Project-based organizations control and lead their projects through a specific and adapted project management model. Applying the control model through a digital project management tool can lead to more efficient project management within the organization. Digitization of project management is a consequence of the rapid growth of digital technology. It drives organizations to radically change their business models. This study is intended to produce a requirement specification document for the implementation of a digital project management tool in a municipal activity. The work is supplemented with an examination of the degree of success of similar development projects in similar organization. In connection with this, a literature study is carried out to create a broader understanding of the subject of project management development as well as term and concept definition. Results show that improvement of project management through the incorporation of digital tools does not lead directly to more efficient project management. Digitization alone is of no value to the organization if it is not structured, in unity with the needs and culture of the business and benefits the business's strategic work towards its long-term visions and goals. / <p>2023-10-18</p>

Aider les concepteurs à améliorer la qualité environnementale de leur projet durant la phase d’esquisse peut contribuer à un meilleur profil environnemental des réalisations finales. Face aux nouvelles exigences liées au développement durable (ressources énergétiques, matériaux de proximité...), les concepteurs doivent conduire un travail d’ajustement entre le contexte du projet et les solutions architecturales qui est de plus en plus complexe. Pour aider les concepteurs dans ce travail, nous proposons une méthode fondée sur l’usage de patrons de conception orientés environnement que nous nommons éco-modèles. Ces patrons s’apparentent à des solutions types éprouvées par de nombreux concepteurs. Les éco-modèles et les réalisations où ils ont été utilisés ont été implémentés dans un outil numérique appelé éco.mod. Grâce à une interface spécifique, les concepteurs peuvent naviguer dans cette base de données, sélectionner des éco-modèles et construire un scénario environnemental adapté à leurs projets architecturaux. L’outil éco.mod leur permet de visualiser les conséquences environnementales de leurs choix. Deux expérimentations, assistées par cet outil, ont largement confirmé nos hypothèses sur la pertinence de la méthode proposée et l’outil associé / Assisting designers in improvement of environmental quality of their project, early in the sketch phase, could result in a better environmental profile of the final product. Designers are facing new necessities related to sustainable development, such as considering sources of energy and usage of local materials, among others. To find a compromise between the project’s context and architectural solutions, one has to carry out complex adjustment tasks to address this issue.To help designers with these tasks, we proposed a method founded on the usage of environment-oriented “design patterns”, which we have named “eco-models”. By being used in their projects, these eco-models are approved by many designers as plausible solutions. The eco-models and the actual projects in which they have been used are gathered and implemented in a (web-based) digital tool, named “eco.mod.”The interface of eco.mod enable designers to navigate in the database, and select appropriate eco-models to create an environmental scenario for their own architectural project. The eco.mod tool allows users to visualize the environmental consequences of theirs choices. Two experiments assisted by this tool have been conducted, and have mainly confirmed our hypothesis about efficacy of this proposed method and its associated tool

Les outils du système d‘information sont un support aux activités des acteurs de l‘organisation. Les entreprises remplacent leurs outils par de nouveaux à la recherche de l‘amélioration de la performance, de la qualité, etc. Néanmoins, l‘implémentation d‘un nouvel outil numérique est un processus d‘adaptation mutuelle entre l‘organisation et la technologie, qui comporte des changements sur plusieurs dimensions et à différents niveaux de granularité. L‘objectif de nos travaux est de contribuer à accompagner ces changements dans le but de favoriser l‘innovation organisationnelle. Nous proposons d‘appréhender la diversité des évolutions dans l‘organisation et des adaptations de l‘outil à travers la diversité des transformations « potentielles » et « effectives » des usages. Afin d‘identifier la diversité des transformations « potentielles » des usages, nous proposons de comparer la diversité des usages « effectifs » de l‘outil « à remplacer » et « potentiels » de l‘outil « à introduire ». Une fois identifiées, les transformations « potentielles » peuvent être maitrisées à travers des décisions sur les usages à délaisser, à conserver, à adopter, jusqu‘à l‘émergence de nouveaux usages. C‘est la mise en oeuvre de ces transformations « effectives » qui implique des évolutions dans l‘organisation et/ou des adaptations de l‘outil. Nous définissons un modèle d‘usage pour tenir compte de la diversité des usages. A partir de ce modèle, nous définitions des méthodes d‘exploration graduelle de la diversité des usages et de la diversité des transformations des usages, orientées organisation ou outil. Nous illustrons l‘application des méthodes proposées à travers le cas d‘étude d‘informatisation du dossier de soins dans une structure d‘hospitalisation à domicile. / Information system tools provide support for the activities of actors in an organization. Companies replace their tools by new ones in search of performance or quality improvements, etc. However, the implementation of a new digital tool is a process of mutual adaptation between the organization and the technology, which involves changes on several dimensions and on different levels of granularity. The aim of our work is to contribute to manage these changes in order to encourage organizational innovation. We propose to grasp the diversity of evolutions in the organization and of adaptations in the tool through the diversity of ―potential‖ and ―effective‖ transformations in usages. In order to identify diversity of ―potential‖ usages, we propose to compare the diversity of ―effective‖ usages of the tool ―to replace‖ and of ―potential‖ usages of the tool ―to introduce‖. Once identified, the ―potential‖ transformations can be managed through decision making on usages to abandon, to keep, to adopt, to the emergence of new usages. It‘s the implementation of these ―effective‖ transformations that involves evolutions in the organization and adaptations of the tool. We set a usage model to consider the diversity of usages. From this model, we define methods for gradual exploration of the diversity of usages and of usage transformations, organization- and tool-oriented. We illustrate the application of methods proposed through the case study of computerization of the patient care record in a home care structure.

Digitala verktyg blir allt mer aktuella inom vårdsammanhang. De kan bidra till en mer patientcentrerad vård. Rehabkompassen™ är ett digitalt verktyg utvecklat av Medicinsk teknik, forskning och utveckling på Norrlands Universitetssjukhus. Rehabkompassen™ ska effektivisera och strukturera uppföljningen av strokepatienter. Syftet med denna studie är att utvärdera användbarheten i gränssnittet och anpassa det mot patienter med traumatisk hjärnskada (TBI). Det vi avser att ta reda på är hur användarna vill att verktyget ska vara utformat. Samt hur designprinciper och kognitionsvetenskapliga teorier kan användas vid utformning av ett nytt designförslag.  Sex deltagare i åldrarna 29 till 61 deltog i studien. Samtliga deltagare var verksamma på Norrlands Universitetssjukhus. Två av dessa deltagare medverkade både i användartestet och utvärderingen. En semistrukturerad intervju och observation genomfördes där deltagarna interagerar med programmet Rehabkompassen™ samtidigt som de uppmanas använda sig av tänka-högt-metoden. Den kvalitativa datan från intervjuerna sammanställdes och gav en grund för hur gränssnittet kunde förbättras. Med hjälp av designprinciper och kognitionsvetenskapliga teorier skapades en ny design. Därefter utvärderades det nya gränssnittet. Resultatet visade att Rehabkopmassen™ är ett användarvänligt program som ger en god översikt över patientens självskattade mående. Mindre korrigeringar har gjorts och nya funktioner har implementerats i programmet. Utvärderingen visade att vårdpersonalen ansåg att kategorierna var lämpliga i det nya gränssnittet för TBI-patienter. De var även positiva till de nya funktionerna. Fortsatt arbete krävs för att upptäcka eventuella användbarhetsproblem av den nya designen. Ytterligare iterationer av designprocessen skulle förbättra användarvänligheten. / Digital tools are becoming more current in health care. They contribute to a more patient-oriented healthcare. Rehabkompassen™ is a digital tool developed by Medicinsk teknik, forskning och utveckling at Norrlands Universitetssjukhus. Rehabkompassen™ will structure the follow-up of stroke patients and make it more effective. The aim of the study is to evaluate the usability of the interface and adjust it to patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). We intend to investigate how the users want the program to be constructed. Also how design principles and cognitive science theories can be used in designing a new interface. Six participants in the ages between 29 and 61 years took part in the study. They worked at Norrlands Universitetssjukhus. Two of the participants participated in both the usertest and evaluation. A semistructured interview and observation was conducted where the participants interacted with Rehabkompassen™. They were encouraged to use the method think-aloud. The collected qualitative data from the interviews were compiled. By using this data, design principles and  cognitive science theories a new interface was created. The interface was then evaluated. The result showed that Rehabkompassen™ is user friendly and gives a good overview of patients health. Smaller corrections were made and new functions were implemented in the program. The evaluation showed that the care staff thought the categories were suitable for TBI-patients. They were positive to the functions in the new interface. Further work is required to develop and improve the new interface. Additional iterations of the design process would improve the usability.