STPIS'25: the 11th International Workshop on Socio-Tech-

Abstract

A total of 38 submissions were received in response to the call for papers, of which 33 were accepted, representing the research work of more than 70 authors from various countries. These gures reect both the growing academic interest in STPIS and the diversity of socio-technical topics explored during the sessions. Participation included 30 on-site attendees and 15 online participants via Zoom, demonstrating the continued relevance of the hybrid format for promoting international collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Keywords

• eol>Socio-Technical Perspectives
• Cybersecurity
• Work-systems
• Human Centered Design
• Human Resource Management
• Industry 4
• 0
• Industry 5
• 0
• Computer Supported Work
• Information Systems
• Systems Practice
• Complex Problem Solving
• Health informatics
• 1

1. Introduction

This year’s conference featured two distinguished keynote speakers, Professor Vladimir Trajkovikj and Professor Herbert P. Ricardo. Their keynote lectures oered deep theoretical insights and practical implications, sparking lively discussions and inspiring participants to explore new intersections between technology, organizations, and society.

The special guests of the workshop were Dragan Shahpaski and Darko Frtunik, representatives of SORSIX, a successful Macedonian company operating globally across ve continents. Their engaging presentation of a real-world case study provided participants with an opportunity to connect academic theory with practical experience. The group sessions were widely praised as highly inspiring, intellectually challenging, and deeply relevant, encouraging fruitful dialogue between researchers and practitioners. The SORSIX contribution was recognized as an excellent example of how socio-technical thinking can be successfully applied in practice on a global scale.

STPIS is a long-standing professional and academic workshop and conference, held annually for 11 years, dedicated to advancing the understanding and application of Sociotechnical Approaches in the elds of Information Systems, Organizational and Management Sciences, Human Resource Management, Cyber security, including Systems Sciences and Cybernetics.

A socio-technical perspective sees an organization as a combination of two components, a social and a technical one. The pattern of behavior in the organization is determined by how well these parts t each other. While analyzing system problems of getting things done, adequate consideration should be given to technology as well as informal and formal interactions of people.

The main purpose of this workshop-style conference is to foster discussions on applying sociotechnical perspectives in the development and management of organizational systems. Its long-term goal is to establish a meeting place for researchers and practitioners interested in socio-technical approaches and their practical applications.

2. Proceedings Overview

This volume comprises contributions structured around seven thematic areas, each addressing aspects of the Socio-Technical Perspectives in Information Systems development: 1. AI, ChatBots and Smart Working 2. Human Resource Management and Work systems 3. Digitalization and Digital Transformation 4. Cyber security, Physical Security and Information Security 5. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I)

6. Health informatics

7. Sustainability

Topics of interest within those themes included, but were not limited to:   

Contemporary socio-technical approaches, in practice (case studies) and theory Human Resource Management and Sustainable Organizational Change

Industry 5.0 / Society 6.0 as part of socio-technical practice and agenda               

AI, GenAI, ChatBots and Cobotics usage, practices, issues and concerns Methodological aspects of using socio-technical approaches in practice Socio-technical approach in education and training Information system design using socio-technical approaches Diversity, equity and inclusion of all things related to IS Societal Security from a socio-technical perspective Information Systems Security from a socio-technical perspective Ethnographic and Anthropological aspects of IS design and adoption Philosophical aspects of socio-technical practices Socio-technical human computer interaction Sociotechnical perspectives on Health informatics Digitalization and digital transformation from a socio-technical perspective Systems Thinking and Cybernetics integrated in Socio-technical practices Sociotechnical perspectives on Organizational and Professional Sustainability

Knowledge Management, Organizational Learning and Organizational Excellence For our STPIS’25 workshop we received overall 38 submissions (including both short and long papers, as well as position papers), and aer a thorough review process where every submission got at least two reviews and an editorial review, 32 papers were selected for presentation at the conference/workshop. All reviews were quality reviews by members of the Program Committee and the editorial reviews were by members of the organizing committee.

Aer the workshop the presented papers were revised based on the peer-reviews and comments during the workshop, and every paper had a nal review before publication in the proceedings. Among the papers in this STPIS’25 proceedings are regular research papers, two position papers based on keynotes and one industrial case study. The proceedings include submissions in the form of short papers (5–9 pages, excluding references) and long papers (10–20 pages, excluding references). 2.1.

Keynote talks:

 

Vladimir Trajkovikj (Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, University “Ss. Cyril and Methodus” in Skopje, North Macedonia). Bridging the Gap: HumanCentered AI Systems for Empowerment in Education and Aging.

Herbert P. Ricardo, (School of Business, Indian River State College FL, USA). Education in Transition: From Disruption to Innovation, Preparing Students for a Technological AI-Driven Future.

Industry case study:

  

Dragan Shahpaski and Darko Frtunik (SORSIX): Preserving Human Connection in Digital Health Systems Drawing upon the industry case study the workshop adopted a participatory approach to explore various aspects of the National Cancer Screening Program in New Zealand. Within this framework, the presenters posed two key socio-technical questions, which participants addressed in two parallel group sessions to propose potential solutions. 2.2.1.

The problem space and focus of the workshop:

How can a national population screening program work with community service providers to implement data tracking and oversight mechanisms necessary for quality and audit, while preserving the culturally sensitive and authentic relationships that make their contribution to the service eective? What technological, procedural, and policy solutions accountability and intimacy to coexist? might allow both 2.3.

Best Student Paper:

This year the best student paper was: An empirical study of socio-technical information security exercises as a tool to foster organizational learning and information security readiness development in Norwegian municipalities. This paper was authored by: Guro B. Olsborg, Grethe Østby, Mohamed Abomhara and Sule Yildirim Yayilgan. Specically, we liked the future oriented idea and propositions related to the triple-loop learning approach. This we believe is very promising for future directions in the cybersecurity culture building domain.

We had many good papers this year. But as particularly good student papers we also wish to make an honorable mention of two other papers: [a] Evaluating Security and Data Privacy in Smart Home Devices, written by Natalia Khetagourova, Christoer Lundh and Joakim Kävrestad. Which was well executed and spot on for the STPIS perspective. Then [b] Designing for Doctors in Training: User-Centered Design for Digital Continuing Medical Education, written by Nirmela Poturovic, George Addo Yeboah, Paul Pålsson and Helena Vallo Hult. This paper was an exceptionally interesting inquiry, well written and the topic also integral to the STPIS perspective.

3. Outcomes from STPIS 2025 Conference and Workshop

The 11th International Workshop and Conference on Socio-Technical Perspectives in Information Systems (STPIS’25) successfully brought together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to explore the intersections of technology, human factors, and organizational contexts. Key outcomes include:

Advancements in Socio-Technical Research: The conference showcased novel frameworks and empirical studies addressing cybersecurity, AI in workplaces, human-centered system design, and organizational ambidexterity, highlighting the importance of integrating technical and social dimensions in complex systems.

Cybersecurity and Digital Readiness: Discussions in sessions on CISOs’ roles, CyBOK as an educational resource, and socio-technical resilience highlighted strategies for bridging cybersecurity skills gaps and fostering organizational preparedness, particularly in municipal and industrial contexts.

Human-Centered and Ethical Design: Papers and workshops emphasized designing systems that consider human behavior, cognitive dierences, and ethical implications, including the adoption of AI in HR systems, healthcare apps for children, and continuing digital medical education for doctors.

Knowledge Exchange and Practical Applications: The case workshop and group discussions facilitated hands-on learning, collaborative problem-solving, and practical insights for designing socio-technical interventions in real-world organizational settings.

Future Directions: The conference underscored the need for ongoing research on AI governance, socio-technical transformations in digital ecosystems, and strategies for organizational learning, resilience, and inclusion. Participants identied opportunities for collaboration across industries, countries, and disciplines, laying the groundwork for STPIS 2026.

Overall, STPIS 2025 reinforced the value of socio-technical perspectives in understanding and addressing the challenges of digital transformation, cybersecurity, and human-technology interactions in diverse organizational contexts.

Acknowledgements

The organizers sincerely thank the members of the Program Committee for their excellent work in reviewing the submissions, as well as the International and Local Organizing Committees for their outstanding eorts in coordinating and managing the event. We also extend our gratitude to all STPIS 2025 participants: authors and presenters, local team members, and the senior advisory board for their invaluable contributions, which were essential to the event's success.

Special thanks are extended to General Chair Peter Bednar and Local Chair Marija Topuzovska Latkovikj for their leadership and coordination of the conference and workshop activities, ensuring the smooth organization and welcoming atmosphere of the event. The support and prior experience of Joakim Kävrestad, who successfully organized last year’s STPIS conference, were of great value to the realization of STPIS 2025. Finally, we acknowledge the Department of Organizational Sciences for organizing the local arrangements of STPIS 2025, and the Institute for Sociological, Political, and Juridical Research at the University “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje for hosting the event and providing institutional support.

Online Resources – Links to STPIS and previous proceedings Since 2016 editions of STPIS, are available on-line via CEUR services, and index the volume in DBLP, Google Scholar, Scopus, CiteSeer/CiteSeerX, etc. For Scandinavian researchers, the publisher is in the Norska systemet rated as level 1 (which is the highest level for conferences and workshops), as well as in Finnish JuFo system as level 1.

Proceedings for the previous editions of STPIS 2016 - 2024 can be found here:    

STPIS 2015 – http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1374/

STPIS 2016 – http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1604/

STPIS 2017 – http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1854/

STPIS 2018 – http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2107/

STPIS 2019 – http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2398/

STPIS 2020 – http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2789/

STPIS 2021 – https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3016/ STPIS 2022 – https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3239/ STPIS 2023 – https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3598/

STPIS 2024 – https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3857/ STPIS 2025 Organizing Committee

Local Organizer: Marija Topuzovska Latkovikj, Institute for Sociological, Political and Juridical Research, University “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje, North Macedonia. General Chair: Peter Bednar, University of Portsmouth, UK & Lund University, Sweden.

Publicity & Proceedings Chair: Mikko Rajanen, University of Oulu, Finland.

Organizing Board Members:

  

Joakim Kävrestad, University of Jonkoping, Sweden.

Helena Vallo Hult, University West & NU Hospital Group, Sweden.

Amany Elbanna, Sussex University, UK.

Local organizing board members:

Senior Advisory Board

Program Committee

Marija Topuzovska Latkovikj, Institute for Sociological, Political and Juridical Research, University “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje, North Macedonia Mirjana Borota Popovska, Institute for Sociological, Political and Juridical Research, University “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje, North Macedonia Vesna Zabijakin Chatleska, Institute for Sociological, Political and Juridical Research, University “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje, North Macedonia Petar Atanasov, Institute for Sociological, Political and Juridical Research, University “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje, North Macedonia Blaze Josifovski, Institute for Sociological, Political and Juridical Research, University “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” in Skopje, North Macedonia Vladimir Trajkovikj, Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, University “Ss. Cyril and Methodus” in Skopje, North Macedonia Steven Alter, Professor Emeritus, University of San Francisco, USA Ilia Bider, Stockholm University, Sweden Per Flensburg, Professor in Information Systems at Strömstad Academy, Sweden Thomas Herrmann, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany Gianni Jacucci, Professor Emeritus in Information Systems, University of Trento, Italy Stewart Kowalski, NTNO, Norway

Eleanor Wynn, Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship, USA                                         

Jose Abdelnour-Nocera, University of West London Iva Atanassova, University of Aberdeen, UK Alex Bennett, University of Portsmouth, UK Erik Bergström, Jönköping University, Sweden Ilia Bider, Stockholm University, Sweden Petra Blahova, University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic Francesco Bolici, UniCLAM, Italy Alessio Maria Braccini, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, Italy Federico Cabitza, Universita degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Italy Linnéa Carlsson, Univerity West, Sweden Andrea Carugati, Aarhus University, Denmark José Cordeiro, Polytechnic University of de Setúbal, Portugal Jonathan Crellin, RMIT University, Vietnam Roberta Cuel, University of Trento, Italy Tania Di Mascio, University of L’Aquila, Italy David Edwards, Independent Researcher, Philippines Amany Elbanna, Sussex University, UK Umberto Fiaccadori, Lund University, Sweden Gill Hagan-Green, Digital Safety CIC, United Kingdom Louise Harder Fischer, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Antoine Harfouche, University Paris Nanterre, France Penny Hart, University of Portsmouth, UK Gianni Jacucci, Professor Emeritus in Information Systems, University of Trento, Italy Joakim Kavrestad, University of Jonkoping, Sweden Markus Lahtinen, Lund University, Sweden Marija Topuzovska Latkovikj, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia Angela Locoro, LIUC – Università Cattaneo, Italy Antonio Marturano, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy Alexander Nolte, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands Mariusz Nowostawski, NTNU, Norway Ijeoma Ojukwu, University of Westminster, UK Federico Pigni, Grenoble Ecole de Management, France Mikko Rajanen, University of Oulu, Finland Mouda Sadok, University of Portsmouth, UK Natalie Pang Lee San, National University of Singapore Vasilena Shiderova, Independent Researcher and Consultant, Bulgaria Paolo Spagnoletti, LUISS, Italy Laura Tarantino, University of L’Aquila, Italy Sara Willermark, University West, Sweden Christine Welch, University of Portsmouth, UK

Eleanor Wynn, Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship, USA

Additional Participants and Members

                               •            

Iain Reid, United Kingdom, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Portsmouth Gianluca Ritarossi, Italy, Independent Researcher Markus Rohde, Germany, Siegen University, Germany Karin Rydenman, Sweden, NU Hospital Group Parisa Saadati, University of West London Markus Salo, Finland, University of Jyväskylä Pratik Sapkota, Finland, Tampere University Danila Scarozza, Italy, Link Campus University Isabella Seeber, France, Grenoble Ecole de Management Ulf Seigerroth, Department of Computer Science and Informatics, School of Engineering, Jönköping University, Sweden.

Anna Sigridur Islind, Iceland, Reykjavik University Laura Tarantino, Italy, Università dell'Aquila Vladimir Trajkovik, North Macedonia, "Ss Cyril and Methodius" University in Skopje Milos Ulman, University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic Pascal Urard, France, ST Microelectronics Eleonora Veglianti, France, KEDGE Business School Per Wekell, Sweden, NU Hospital Group Emil Wellrup, Department of Computer Science and Informatics, School of Engineering, Jönköping University, Sweden Johan Wenngren, Sweden, Luleå University of Technology Naomi Woods, Finland, University of Jyväskylä Volker Wulf, Germany, Siegen University, Germany George Addo Yeboah, Sweden, University West Sule Yildirim Yayilgan, Norway, Norwegian University of Science and Technology Ruilin Zhu, United Kingdom, University of Lancaster

Grethe Østby, Norway, Norwegian University of Science and Technology Declaration on Generative AI The author(s) have not employed any Generative AI tools.

References