Capturing Tacit Troubleshooting Knowledge On The Shop Floor: A Worker-Driven Internal Crowdsourcing Approach

Rank Y, Bodendorf F (2026)

Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Conference contribution, Conference Contribution

Publication year: 2026

Publisher: Association for Information Systems (AIS)

Pages Range: 1 - 9

Conference Proceedings Title: ECIS 2026 Proceedings (Track 09: Digital Transformation, Paper 11)

Event location: Milan IT

URI: https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2026/digitrans/digitrans/11/

Open Access Link: https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2026/digitrans/digitrans/11/

Abstract

This short paper addresses the persistent challenge of tacit troubleshooting knowledge loss on the manufacturing shop floor. Existing knowledge management approaches often fail under time pressure and rarely capture the situated experiential reasoning of operators. Building on tacit knowledge theory and internal crowdsourcing, we follow a design science research approach to develop a lightweight, worker-driven artifact that enables operators to document disturbances as structured cause-countermeasure micro-cases enriched with metadata. We derive three nascent design propositions on workflow-embedded capture, structured micro-contributions, and decentralized contributions with central curation. A planned mixed-method evaluation in a polymer production plant will examine usability, contextual fit, and sustained participation. The study contributes to design knowledge for worker-driven shop floor knowledge systems.

Authors with CRIS profile

Yannick Rank Lehrstuhl für Wirtschaftsinformatik, insbesondere im Dienstleistungsbereich Freimut Bodendorf Lehrstuhl für Wirtschaftsinformatik, insbesondere im Dienstleistungsbereich

How to cite

APA:

Rank, Y., & Bodendorf, F. (2026). Capturing Tacit Troubleshooting Knowledge On The Shop Floor: A Worker-Driven Internal Crowdsourcing Approach. In ECIS 2026 Proceedings (Track 09: Digital Transformation, Paper 11) (pp. 1 - 9). Milan, IT: Association for Information Systems (AIS).

MLA:

Rank, Yannick, and Freimut Bodendorf. "Capturing Tacit Troubleshooting Knowledge On The Shop Floor: A Worker-Driven Internal Crowdsourcing Approach." Proceedings of the 34th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2026), Milan Association for Information Systems (AIS), 2026. 1 - 9.

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