Mobile Applications for Knowledge Workers and Field Workers

Stieglitz S, Lattemann C, Brockmann T

Abstract

In recent years, the diffusion of mobile applications (mobile apps) has risen significantly. Nowadays, standardized mobile business apps are strongly emerging in business. However, the usage of customized mobile enterprise apps is still an exception. Standardized mobile apps enable mobile data storage and exchange (e.g. dropbox), communication (e.g. skype), and other standardized processes, which mainly support knowledge workers. But mobile apps can do more. Mobile apps can for example increase the flexibility of mobile workers in general, ease the access to firm’s information from outside the enterprise, and enable ubiquitous collaboration. Hence, mobile apps can generate competitive advantages and can increase work efficiency on a broad scale. This research shows - on the basis of two case studies that mobile workers form no coherent group. Mobile workers can be clustered in different types such as knowledge workers and field workers. They fulfill different tasks, work in different environments and have different requirements for mobile support. The question arises, which mobile apps should be used by whom for which task and in which environment. These questions affect multiple corporate levels. We conclude in this paper that the corporate transition from classical business to mobile business must be accompanied by a thorough specification, implementation and usage of task- and firm-specific (individualized) enterprise apps instead of employing standardized mobile business apps.