Anne Kathrin Schaar

On Graph Entropy Measures for Knowledge Discovery from Publication Network Data

Many research problems are extremely complex, making interdisciplinary knowledge a necessity; consequently cooperative work in mixed teams is a common and increasing research procedure. In this paper, we evaluated information-theoretic network measures on publication networks. For the experiments described in this paper we used the network of excellence from the RWTH Aachen University, described in [1]. Those measures can be understood as graph complexity measures, which evaluate the structural complexity based on the corresponding concept. We see that it is challenging to generalize such results towards different measures as every measure captures structural information differently and, hence, leads to a different entropy value. This calls for exploring the structural interpretation of a graph measure [2] which has been a challenging problem.

Using mixed node publication network graphs for analyzing success in interdisciplinary teams

Large-scale research problems (e.g. health and aging, eonomics and production in high-wage countries) are typically complex, needing competencies and research input of different disciplines [1]. Hence, cooperative working in mixed teams is a common research procedure to meet multi-faceted research problems. Though, interdisciplinarity is --- socially and scientifically --- a challenge, not only in steering cooperation quality, but also in evaluating the interdisciplinary performance. In this paper we demonstrate how using mixed-node publication network graphs can be used in order to get insights into social structures of research groups. Explicating the published element of cooperation in a network graph reveals more than simple co-authorship graphs. The validity of the approach was tested on the 3-year publication outcome of an interdisciplinary research group. The approach was highly useful not only in demonstrating network properties like propinquity and homophily, but also in proposing a performance metric of interdisciplinarity. Furthermore we suggest applying the approach to a large research cluster as a method of self-management and enriching the graph with sociometric data to improve intelligibility of the graph.

Technical Expertise and Its Influence on the Acceptance of Future Medical Technologies: What Is Influencing What to Which Extent?

In this research we examine the influence of technical expertise on future medical technology. Technical expertise is assumed to positively influence the acceptance of modern technologies, and there is evidence within the information and communication technology (ICT) sector for this. While no one would seriously dispute this basic impact of technical expertise on technology acceptance, it is far from clear what the main drivers of technical expertise are. In order to understand the complex nature of expertise on the one hand and its impact on the acceptance of other technology domains on the other, an empirical approach was undertaken. 100 participants (19-75 years) participated in a survey, in which the acceptance of a medical mobile device was explored. Outcomes show (1) that technical expertise is a highly complex construct entailing different facets (knowledge, motivational, emotional and pragmatic components), which are influenced by age and gender of respondents (2) technical expertise in the ICT domain decisively modulates acceptance of medical technology. Interestingly, a low technical expertise does not only reduce the acceptance of the pro-using arguments, but is specifically related to a high confirmation of contrausing arguments.

Reducing Complexity with Simplicity - Usability Methods for Industry 4.0

At RWTH Aachen University the research cluster “Production Technology for High-Wage Countries” engages in advancing the polylemma of production. In many cases engineers and physicists develop simulation tools, machine interfaces, and data exploration tools but lack essential training in HumanComputer Interaction. Without proper training the interaction of visual, cognitive and task complexity can lead to solutions that are valuable only to the developers themselves, but are not usable without extensive training. We show the most critical ergonomic factors for developing software in a scientific engineering setting that focuses on complex problems. We present an overview of usability methods as well as complexity reduction methods and their applicability in engineering software design. We present an exemplary study for the case of supply chain management, where the approaches were successfully integrated into a serious game not only serving as an investigatory tool but also as a training utility for supply chain managers.

The Impact of User Diversity on the Willingness to Disclose Personal Information in Social Network Services

Social media and social network sites (SNS) are a central medium for communication within the Internet. There has never been a faster possibility for information exchange across the globe with a comparable range and size of audience. So far, SNS are very popular in private communication. But can other fields of application profit from this role model? To find out more about the comparability of the two contexts (private and business) and to specify transferable design guidelines, we investigated the willingness to disclose private data in both private and business context, knowing that data disclosure is one significant success factor for SNS and communities. Therefore, an exploratory questionnaire study (N = 151) was designed. The focus of the study is based on the question whether there is a difference between the contexts and whether these differences are related to user diversity factors (age, gender, perceived locus of control over technology (PLoC), and personality traits according to Five Factor Model (FFM)). First results reveal that there is a significant difference between the two contexts that is hard to explain using only factors of user diversity.

State of the (net)work address Developing criteria for applying social networking to the work environment

In an increasingly faster paced innovative world, maintaining the ability to innovate in spite of an aging work force will become every companys strongest leverage for success. Tapping the latent knowledge resources and creativity of overlooked employees and persisting crucial information for business conduct are promising results for social networking sites (SNS) in a working context. Usability and usefulness are exponential factors in creating a successful SNS. In order to make a SNS usable for a heterogeneous user group, analyses of user diversity in regard to social media need to be done. Furthermore differences in communication medium and frequency in regard to age, content, hierarchy position, departmental thresholds and company size need to be analyzed. For analysis purposes both qualitative and quantitative research methods were applied. Strong effects of age and communication content were found in survey with 194 participants.

Scientific Cooperation Engineering in the Cluster of Excellence Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage Countries at RWTH Aachen University

Interdisciplinary scientific cooperation plays a decisive role for the generation of new knowledge. The augmenting dynamic and complexity of scientific forms of cooperation require new approaches for interlinking people and knowledge from different disciplines to enable people for succeeding in interdisciplinary cooperation. Concerning the case of the cluster of excellence Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage Countries at RWTH Aachen University this challenge is addressed by cross sectional processes (CSP). CSP are supporting networking processes and strategic cluster development by means of learning and knowledge management. Through cross-sectional activities, a new method for knowledge and organizational development was identified – scientific cooperation engineering. It aspires to support the transfer of highly complex, dynamic and interdisciplinary research cooperation into sustainable and robust structures. The design of scientific cooperation engineering will be outlined in this position paper.

Personality Influences on Etiquette Requirements for Social Media in the Work Context

Today social media is used extensively in both private and professional contexts, with using habits and conventions shaped by the private using context. It is unknown how in the users perception professional social media usage might differ from the private context and which implicit or explicit etiquette criteria apply. With an empirical questionnaire approach (N=99, ages 20-59) we examined the impact of perceived formal correctness, formal politeness and workflow compatibility of social media applications (email, blog and chat) on the acceptance of social media in the working context. We additionally analyzed the impact of personality on users perceptions toward social media etiquette. Therefore we examined correlations between two Five Factor Model (FFM or Big Five) personality traits (conscientiousness and agreeableness) and requirements for formal correctness, formal politeness and compatibility. Linear regression shows that requirements for social media etiquette are strongly influenced by conscientiousness, age and social media expertise. Differences in etiquette are evaluated in regard to formal addressing, correct spelling, acronym and emoticon usage, work disruption and perceived urgency. Furthermore differences in etiquette between different media are explained.

Reasons for Using Social Networks Professionally

Since the success of social media in private usage settings, social media applications spread rapidly in the working context. In business internal contexts these applications seem useful as a measure for strategic knowledge management. Social media in this context promises to offer adequate facilities to support a systematic storage of knowledge as well as a support of knowledge exchange and communication in enterprises. But since social media is only successful when used, the usage motivation of employees is one central key for their success. Therefore this paper focusses on the motivation to use social media professionally. To achieve this we are investigating the influence of user diversity factors such as age, gender, and social media expertise on aspects of usage motivation. In a study with N=84 the employees of an enterprise were asked which reasons for using social media are relevant to them. Findings show that both factors age and gender reveal a relatively low influence on the factors evaluation of usage motives, tools as a measure for motivation, and incentives/reinforcements for social network usage. In contrast both expertise with social media and achievement motivation revealed many correlations with both usage motives and tools as well as incentives and reinforcements.

Enhancing Interdisciplinary Cooperation by Social Platforms

In large-scale research projects active management of the cooperation process is necessary, e.g. to ensure systematic transfer of knowledge, alignment of research goals, or appropriate dissemination of research efforts. In a large scale research-cluster at the RWTH Aachen University a cybernetic management approach is applied. As a planned measure, publishing efforts (i.e. bibliometric data) will be visualized on a social software platform accessible by researchers and the steering committee. But do researchers agree with the chosen style of visualization of their publications? As part of a user centered design, this paper presents the results of an interview study with researchers (n=22) addressing the usefulness and applicability of this approach. As central findings arguments for using the publication visualization are identified such as enabling retrospective analysis, acquiring new information about the team, improvement in dissemination planning, but at the same time contrasted by arguments against this approach, such as missing information, a possibly negative influence on workflow of researchers, and the bad legibility of the visualization. Additionally requirements and suggested improvements are presented.