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As organisations respond to the increasing preference for hybrid work, employee experience management (EXM) platforms are becoming integral to transforming employees’ experiences in hybrid workplaces. In this paper we theorize that EXM platforms are implanted into the workflow through digital embeddedness, which is appropriated and reconfigured through the interactions between human and digital subsystems in hybrid work. We adopt the lens of digital/human interaction to explore the reciprocal process of how EXM platforms configure and are reconfigured in hybrid work. Based on a case study of Microsoft Viva, an AI-based EXM platform, we propose a conceptual model that identifies two dimensions of digital embeddedness: digital/human embeddedness and digital/workplace embeddedness. The study contributes to a theoretical understanding of digital embeddedness as a dynamic process whilst also showing the reconfiguration of hybrid work practices evidences a joint optimization. The study further contributes insights into how hybrid work, which resulted from the enforced remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to emerge due to the digital embeddedness of EXM platforms in the flow of hybrid work.

Although onboarding constitutes a crucial aspect of today’s virtual work environments, and despite the wealth of studies on Global Virtual Teams (GVTs), we know surprisingly little about onboarding practices in this context. This is due to lack of empirical studies explicitly focused on onboarding in GVTs, and an emphasis on onboarding in the pandemic context which may not be relevant in the post-pandemic everyday GVT work. In this paper, we draw on empirical data from a global organization and present practices for effective onboarding a single member (or subgroup) half-way through GVT lifecycle. The practices we identified address specific challenges facing GVTs. We propose that (a) dynamic membership makes GVT onboarding an ongoing practice (rather than a one-off activity); (b) combining traditional and GVT-specific onboarding practices can help to enhance member visibility; and (c) organization, leaders, existing and incoming members all have a role to play in onboarding in GVTs (instead of being the sole responsibility of the organization/leader).

The female protagonist of the case needs to make an important decision on whether to ‘stay or go’ in her current role at Kappa University. She had been in the university as a Chief Digital and Information Officer for nearly three years but was not given a strategic status, leaving her out of important decisions; yet she is responsible for the biggest budget of the university. The case raises issues on the strategic importance of digital transformation but also the recognition that female IT leaders may or may not have within their organisation and their influence on decision making linked to digital transformation matters. The explores the role of digital leaders and their relation to senior management; the challenges they face when not given a strategic role and the impact that this may have on the organisation’s experience with digital transformation. Further, the case provides the opportunity to students to compare and contrast different employment arrangements such as contracting and permanent employment. The case can be used on courses on digital transformation, digital strategy and IT leadership.

While all functional areas in organizations are benefiting from the recent development in generative artificial intelligence (GAI), marketing has been particularly affected positively by this breakthrough innovation. However, scholars have not paid attention to the transformative impacts GAI has on marketing activities. This editorial article aims to fill this void. It outlines the current state of generative artificial intelligence in marketing. The article discusses the facilitators and barriers for the use of generative artificial intelligence in marketing. It highlights the effectiveness of insights generated by GAI in personalizing content and offerings and argues that marketing 2 content generated by GAI is likely to be more personally relevant than that produced by earlier generations of digital technologies. The article explains how higher efficiency and productivity of marketing activities can be achieved by using GAI to create marketing content. It also describes the roles of insights and marketing content generated by GAI to improve the sales lead generation process. Implications for research, practice and policy are also discussed.

This article presents insights on using employee experience management platforms to foster engagement within the hybrid work model. The study specifically examines the use of Microsoft Viva in a multinational software organization with an established hybrid work model.

Whilst the role of online communities (OCs) in knowledge exchange and generation has been widely discussed, limited research exists on the distance and direction of OC knowledge flows. In this paper, we examine this issue by taking the case of an industry-founded OC that rendered around the use of a specific Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) module used by public sector organisations. Through a grounded analysis approach, we extend literature on OCs by identifying user-generated practices that enable knowledge flows in the online space as well as by examining the travels of these knowledge flows, taking particular account of the distance they cover and the direction they take. Findings point to within, outwards and inwards travels of OC-related knowledge flows showing a widely spread OC knowledge impact. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.

Despite the economic and societal significance of microbusinesses (MBs), digital transformation (DT) efforts in the MB sector have been rather sporadic. Further, prior DT studies have primarily examined large- and mid-sized organisations, leaving a perceptible void in the literature. In this paper, we leverage the unique context of MBs and recognise the key role of microbusiness owner-managers (MBOMs) for the management and sustenance of DT initiatives. Specifically, we theorise the influence of MBOMs’ DT readiness in terms of their growth and technology mindsets contributing to their DT learning resources and processes. Drawing on qualitative data from a series of structured interviews and focus groups with MBOMs and other key stakeholders in the Irish MB digital ecosystem, we identity three MBOM digital transformer archetypes comprising unique configurations of MBOMs’ growth and technology mindsets, namely: champion digital transformers, emerging digital transformers, and aspiring digital transformers. For each of these archetypes, we explore the different learning capabilities and mechanisms through which MBOMs manage and sustain their digital transformation efforts. Our findings offer theoretical contributions to the fields of digital transformation in microbusinesses, digital leadership, and digital capabilities. Our study also has significant implications for policy and practice.