AI-agentbaserad förslagsverksamhet : En fallstudie om AI i förslagsverksamhet inom svenska tjänsteföretag

Sammanfattning

Employee suggestion systems and continuous improvement are important components in involving employees in quality development and organizational learning. In the context of increasing global competition, the importance of quality management continues to grow. Research has shown clear links between employee engagement and the outcomes of quality improvement efforts. At the same time, employee suggestion systems have declined across much of the Western world. Recent research suggests that digital technologies and AI may support knowledge sharing and exchange of ideas within organizations. However, there is still limited research on whether AI can directly support employee suggestion processes. The purpose of this study was to, through a case study, investigate how AI can be used to improve the suggestion process within Swedish service organizations and therefore support its development. The study was conducted as an exploratory case study within AFRY Defence, where an abductive approach was used with both qualitative and quantitative elements. The study includes a literature review, semi-structured interviews, a survey and an experiment using an AI agent to support formulating and structuring of improvement suggestions. The results show that the AI agent contributed to structure and maturity of improvement suggestions, adapted to the organizational needs for decision making. The study also indicates that AI support may improve prerequisites to a standardization of the suggestion process, by producing documentation from a predetermined framework. Furthermore, the results indicate that some time saving is possible since AI support can decrease the need for certain activities. It was concluded that AI agents can serve as support within the studied organization by strengthening the quality of submitted suggestions and contributing to a more uniform way of working. Since the results are based on a single, minor case study, the conclusions are indicative, although some transferability to other service organizations in a similar context may occur.