=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-2398/Paper3
|storemode=property
|title=Organizing in The Age of Digital Product Platforms: The Work of Integrated Vehicle Control Engineers
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2398/Paper3.pdf
|volume=Vol-2398
|authors=Charlotte A. Shahlaei,Ulrika Lundh Snis,Dick Stenmark
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/ecis/ShahlaeiSS19
}}
==Organizing in The Age of Digital Product Platforms: The Work of Integrated Vehicle Control Engineers==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2398/Paper3.pdf
Proceedings of STPIS'19
Organizing in The Age of Digital Product Platforms: The
Work of Integrated Vehicle Control Engineers
Charlotte A. Shahlaei1[0000-0002-1424-8651], Ulrika Lundh Snis2[0000-0002-6101-3054] and Dick
Stenmark3[0000-0002-3265-0978]
12
School of Business, Economics and IT, University West, Trollhättan, Sweden
charlotte-arghavan.shahlaei@hv.se
ulrika.snis@hv.se
3
Department of Applied Information Technology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg,
Sweden
dick.stenmark@ait.gu.se
Abstract. As flexibility and generativity of digitized information continuously
afford new possibilities, a significant challenge for organizations becomes pin-
pointing practices that are befitting from various aspects. Two overarching digit-
ization eras have so far determined the greatness of the challenge for organiza-
tions; ‘computerization’, and ‘the Internet’. Today, a third era of digitization is
marked by the emergence of digitized products. As increasing numbers of code
line and software are being incorporated in previously physical products such as
cars, they can be used as complete products on one layer, and simultaneously turn
into platforms enabling other firms to develop and integrate new components,
content, or services on another layer. As digital product platform’s multiple de-
sign layers need to be open to various applications and agendas, their develop-
ment requires new justifications and approaches for organizing work. By apply-
ing a Neo Socio-Technical Systems frame of reference on the work of engineers
as they engage in developing digitized products, we 1. discuss changes of work
and organizing along three eras of digitization, 2. provide a rich empirical in-
stance by identifying what steps engineers take in preparation for developing dig-
ital product platforms, and 3. discuss the implications of these steps for the liter-
ature on practice and organizing.
Keywords: digital product platforms, digitization, work structure inheritance,
Neo-STS.
1 Information Digitization and Categories of Change: An
Emerging Research Agenda
With the advent of digitization and its accompanying globalization course, the ‘what’s
and ‘how’s of work are inherited from rationales that extend beyond the managerial
imperative in a single organization (Winter, Berente, Howison and Butler, 2014; Yoo,
Henfridsson and Lyytinen, 2010; Tilson, Lyytinen and Sorensen, 2010). As ‘flexibility’
Edited by S. Kowalski, P. Bednar and I. Bider 17
Proceedings of STPIS'19
and ‘generativity’ of digitized information continuously afford new possibilities, a sig-
nificant challenge for organizations becomes pinpointing forms and kinds of practice
that are befitting from an economic, ethical, safety and security stance (Brynjolfsson
and McAfee, 2014). Information Systems scholarship is prolific with research on how
information technologies have both supported and altered work, and how organizations
have responded to these changes (Alter, 2008; Vessey, Ramesh and Glass, 2002). The
challenge is not new then; it is the scope of the challenge that guides organizations and
consequently IS research into a new direction.
So far, two overarching digitization eras have determined the greatness of the chal-
lenge for organizations; ‘computerization’, and ‘the Internet’ (Yoo et al., 2010; Tilson,
et al., 2010). With the emerging computing power, in the first era, organizational chal-
lenges were associated with improving the efficiency of internal operations and deci-
sion making. With the advent of net-enabled firms, in the second era, the focus was on
how collaborative systems, knowledge management and e-business systems assisted
competitive capability in a distributed network of firms (Yoo, et al., 2010; Tilson et al.,
2010). The ongoing efforts for efficiency and flexibility brought by information digiti-
zation today is snowballing into the emergence of a third digitization era; the era of
‘digital product platforms’ (Yoo et al., 2010), with organizing concerns of its own (See
Hylving and Schultze 2013; Svahn, Mathiassen and Lindgren, 2017).
Digital product platforms such as iPads or more recently autonomous cars, can be
used as complete products on one layer, and simultaneously enable other firms such as
traffic or weather agencies, or app developers outside the industry to develop and inte-
grate new components, content, or services on another layer each of which can in turn
expand the basic functionality of the product (Ghazawneh and Henfridsson: 2013, Yoo
et al., 2010). For instance, developing autonomous functionalities in a car includes in-
tegrating technologies from two distinct industry fields; the automotive industry and
the mobile robot industry (Jo et al., 2016). This integration process leads to the im-
provement of the car functionalities, as well as providing a platform for the mobile
robot industry to improve its AI algorithms in general (Jo et al, 2016).
However, such integration processes also include the challenge of negotiating prior-
ities and instructions among heterogenous firms with distinct expertise, interests, and
concerns (Boland, Lyytinen, Yoo, 2007; Hukal and Henfridsson, 2017). One example
to bear in mind is the substantial coordination and planning required for integrating
automated functionalities in the car which rely on vehicle’s main functionalities (Khare,
Stewart and Schatz, 2016; Gao, Hensley and Zielke, 2014, See also Jo et al., 2016,
Basarke, Berger, Rumpe, 2007). These automated services and functionalities are
largely developed by heterogenous firms outside the automotive industry with expertise
in, for instance, neural networking, deep learning or data mining, yet with little
knowledge in the automotive area or concerns with vehicle safety (Jo et al, 2016).
Alongside with both the platformization of previously physical products as well as the
formation of ecosystems consisting heterogenous collaborating firms, we formulate our
research question as, “how do engineers form viable work practices when developing
digital product platforms”. Of particular interest is to identify what steps are taken both
on the technical and organizational side to facilitate the grounds for turning products
into product platforms, and creating ecosystems of collaborating heterogenous firms.
©Copyright held by the author(s) 18
Proceedings of STPIS'19
In addition to identifying these steps, we will also discuss what implications such steps
and arrangements have for the literature on forms of practice and organizing in the third
digitization era.
To provide a research context, we have selected the automotive industry as being
involved in developing autonomous cars, i.e. a case in point for digital product plat-
forms. By looking at the engineers’ work as they develop product lines for autonomous
cars, we provide detailed real-case examples of how the engineers’ work reflects the
technological characteristics of digital product platforms and how these characteristics
are perceived to influence processes of forming functional work practices.
Our contribution by exploring this question is to address the practical implications
of pervasive digitization for organizations involved in highly innovative product devel-
opment. As could be anticipated, a practical challenge for these organizations is form-
ing work systems that will support fast and adaptive product development in a thriving
network of heterogenous firms (Tiwana, 2014, Hukal and Henfridsson, 2017). Our the-
oretical contributions include aligning the way we think about organizing with the cur-
rent phenomena of interest in IS. This is arguably a prevailing call for Information Sys-
tems researchers as the phenomenon of interest in IS is a moving target, changing rap-
idly with changes in information technology (Gregor, 2018).
2 Research Setting
The OEM (original equipment manufacturer) we have selected as the setting for our
study has been focused on a fundamental reorganization process that aims at reducing
the decision-making hierarchy and promoting an upward development structure. The
company’s emphasis on shaping processes and structures in a bottom-up way have co-
incided with its investments in developing autonomous cars. Since making autonomous
cars is still at its early stages, even for OEMs with a long record in the automotive
industry, the work guidelines and development requirements remain largely undefined
to this date. The focus on minimizing decision-making hierarchy and an upward devel-
opment structure then appears to be inevitably fitting. Besides the promised benefits of
reduced hierarchy and distributed decision-making, there are also draw-backs. The
younger engineers who are mostly in charge of developing product lines for autono-
mous cars find it increasingly challenging to be left to their own devices when it comes
to setting product requirements and establishing work procedures. However, they are
also aware that, given the newness of the products they are developing, it is practically
impossible to have clear goals and structures before product lines are actually devel-
oped and, that only in retrospect, it would be possible to refine goals, requirements,
models and procedures.
A smaller part of this challenge is thus motivated by the senior engineers assuming
a more supervisory role than being immersed in product development. A larger share
of the challenge is however prompted by the unconventionality of the work required
for developing product lines for autonomous cars. In this light, exploring how these
engineering teams plan and structure their work to develop different products for au-
tonomous cars sounds like a promising strategy for studying the organizing logics in
Edited by S. Kowalski, P. Bednar and I. Bider 19
Proceedings of STPIS'19
the era of digital product platforms. It should be mentioned that, by ‘organizing logics”,
we are referring to the professionals’ sense making processes as they reflect on the
‘what’s, ‘how’s and ‘why’s of their work. In our study, we focus on the IVCcore squad.
‘Squads’ are names given to teams assigned to developing specific products lines. IVC-
core squad is the abbreviation for Integrated Vehicle Control team which exists in the
company’s software development division and consists of 8 engineers. To put it simply,
IVCcore squad has been in charge of two major development lines since its formation.
Firstly, the squad embarked on integrating the electric control units (ECUs) for three
fundamental vehicle motions, including propulsion, steering, and braking in a single
ECU. Secondly, the team will modify the ECUs to be eventually applied in autonomous
driving (AD).
Given this description, we expect to see two types of logics and strategies for work
within the team; 1. logics and strategies for working towards developing products that
can be specific to any car in general, such as developing a single ECU for propulsion,
steering and braking. 2. logics and strategies for working towards developing products
that are specific to autonomous cars, such as developing interfaces for connecting the
car to the Internet of things that allows external firms to use the car for their intended
functionalities. This way, we anticipate the squad’s work to present an exemplary shift
in work practices and organizing logics that are necessary not just for developing de-
fined products such as a car, but also organizing logics for developing digital product
platforms such as autonomous cars that are open to future modification and application.
Following the squad’s work could therefore be a useful strategy for studying both work
practices and organizing processes for developing digital product platforms, and for
capturing a shift from previous organizing models. Having explained our motivations
for selecting the work of the IVCcore squad as the focus of our study, we next explain
our strategies for following their work.
3 Data gathering
Given the exploratory nature of our study, we have followed the work of other research-
ers who have adopted an iterative approach1 (Leonardi and Bailey, 2008; Henfridsson,
Mathiassen and Svahn, 2014). Starting with initial interviews of mid-management and
senior engineers, we acquired a preliminary overview of the company’s agendas related
to the development of autonomous cars. The initial interviews were mainly aimed at
understanding what divisions of the organization were specifically dedicated to re-
search and development of autonomous product lines and how the human resources and
competences were distributed across developer teams. Based on these initial interviews,
we were able to identify the key informants in divisions of interest who then directed
us to the IVCcore squad. The observation of the IVCcore squad started in October 2018
and is still ongoing. The observation sessions include at least 4 complete work days
weekly, and 1 day dedicated to an over-arching analysis of data that can be used for
devising research strategies for the week after.
1
The data gathering phases are described in table 3 in the appendices.
©Copyright held by the author(s) 20
Proceedings of STPIS'19
The IVCcore squad consists of 8 developer engineers all seated in the same office
area without any partitions dividing them. This spatial specification allows them to en-
gage in conversations constantly to brainstorm, troubleshoot or discuss issues related
to their work. The first author who is conducting the observations, is seated in the same
area with the team. As there are no partitions dividing the team members, it is possible
for the researcher to both see and hear the team members performing their work easily.
During observations, we write careful fieldnotes making sure to record not only the
activities of the team, and the artifacts they use, but also the topics discussed by the
team members as they engage in conversations to perform their work. These notes assist
us to pose follow up questions and inquire about the tasks and challenges in the team.
This strategy usually results in exploring new topics and areas of the squad’s work that
can be further explored. Relevant conversations are audio recorded and are subse-
quently analyzed by the end of each week. This research design as well as the spatial
arrangement during observations allow for witnessing things as they occur. Our obser-
vations thus resemble what Hennik, Hutter and Bailey (2010) describe as “watching an
unfolding drama unfold with characters, events and story lines” (p. 170).
By following the conversation topics among team member as well as their activities
on a daily basis, we have been able to develop tentative tables that are intended for
capturing phases of product development, activities, challenges, planning, and structure
of work for the IVCcore squad (see table 2). To make sure that we have understood the
observed activities and recorded all topics discussed in the group, we will conduct semi-
structured interviews with the squad members where these tables are filled with the
help of each interviewee confirming that both the observed topics are relevant and that
the descriptions of technical issues in projects and tasks match the engineers work.
Table 1. The work of IVCcore based on phases of product development
What How
Phases to Goal Task Challenge Planning Order Special to
AD phases AD
As is clear in tables 2, the phases of product development extend a storyline describing
the product-related projects the IVCcore squad has been and will be taking on. The left
half of the table presents what the squad does, establishing a narrative history for the
team’s work which can help outline the key properties of order and structure (Van de
Ven and Huber, 1990) as the team proceeds in developing various products lines for
AD. The right half of the table indicates how the projects and tasks are planned for.
Each member of the squad will be scheduled for two in-depth interviews; one interview
dedicated to what the work entails and one dedicated to how the work is structured and
planned for. The interview durations range among 60- 75 minutes. Once the interviews
are done, there will be 8 tables -developed through 16 interviews- illustrating the work
Edited by S. Kowalski, P. Bednar and I. Bider 21
Proceedings of STPIS'19
of IVCcore squad based on the way each interviewee has framed and phrased their
work.
4 Data Analysis
By focusing on forming the interview tables, we intend to make the details of our ob-
servations and interviews transparent. This method helps summarize the most promi-
nent themes of our observations and makes the interviewees’ own classification of
events clear, allowing us to follow a “disciplined pursuit and analysis of the data”
(Sarker, Xiao and Beaulieu, 2013). In the first analysis phase, the 8 tables will be com-
pared and contrasted to formulate a single table that is illustrative and comprehensive
of the IVCcore’s work based on all 8 interviewees. This is the inductive phase of the
analysis where we emphasize telling a story in detail and avoiding the risk of missing
parts that lie outside the scope of a theory (Walsham, 1995).
The second phase of analysis will include looking for a shift in the logic and strate-
gies of structuring work as the team focuses more on the development of functionalities
for AD. As clear in table 2, an important probe during interviews has been whether any
part of what they are doing is necessarily related to making autonomous cars and not a
traditional car. The purpose of this probe has been to distinguish between activities or
forms of practice which are accommodating towards future adaptations and applica-
tions by multiple users which are unclear and uncoordinated at the time of development.
In this analysis phase, we intend to benefit from theoretical concepts and frameworks
that help spot a shift in organizing forms and strategies in our descriptive table based
on the characteristics of digital product platforms. By doing so, we hope to move be-
yond a mere description of events and bind the empirical phenomenon to the cumulative
research on organizing logics, and thus aim for a more compelling story of our digital
age (Henfridsson, 2014).
5 Results
The events identified at the field during our time with the IVCcore squad, through both
observations and interviews, can so far be categorized into 3 overarching courses; 1,
developing an integrated vehicle control unit for the three main motions of the car, i.e.,
propulsion, steering and braking, and 2, modifying the architectural model for the inte-
grated control unit, and 3. revamping organizational arrangements to support the cur-
rent work. These three courses of action each present a shift in the following aspects of
work: 1. A shift in work practices, 2. A shift in design architecture, and 3. A shift in the
organizing processes. As our analysis shows so far, each of these shifts imply respec-
tively a change in the kind, scope and meaning of work and organizing. We will thus
discuss how each of these three courses of events prepared the organization to turn the
vehicle control software into a platform and how these preparatory steps are configur-
ing new forms of practice and organizing.
©Copyright held by the author(s) 22
Proceedings of STPIS'19
6 Appendices
Table 2. Data gathering phases
Stage Method Informant Topics Purpose
source
Intro- Open- Organizational -Reorganiza- Gain knowledge of di-
duc- ended in- management, tion processes, visions dedicated to de-
tory terviews organizational -Division of veloping AD product
coaches, Soft- work, lines, & of distribution
ware division -R&D projects of human resources and
mid-manage- for AD competences across de-
ment veloper teams
IVC- Observa- IVCcore engi- Daily tasks Find themes, formulate
core1 tions neers and routines, interview guides, de-
Oct 2018- challenges velop a narrative map
June 2019
IVC- 8 Semi- IVCcore engi- Project, To capture what the
core 2 structured neers phases, goals, team does to prepare or
inter- tasks, chal- develop AD product
views lenges lines
IVC- 8 Semi- IVCcore engi- Planning pro- To capture how the
core3 structured neers cedures & team prepared for
inter- structure, deci- working in different
views sion-makers, projects and phases
specification
of require-
ments for pro-
jects
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