AI for Administration and Desk Job Workers: Increasing Productivity through the Use of AI

📌 Key facts

• Mission: Explore the potential of AI in transforming administrative and desk job roles, aiming to increase productivity and efficiency in these areas. By conducting extensive research and analysis, the goal is to identify pain points faced by workers in administrative roles and uncover innovative approaches to leverage AI technologies for enhanced productivity.

• When: Start anytime. Applications are open!
• How to apply: Send us an e-mail (at the end of this page) with your CV, a grade report, a short motivation and your suggested approach (proposed plan and questions, potential data, and methods, possible outcomes with a tentative outline).

Contents

• 💡 Background
• 🦾Who We Are
• 🎯 Goals
• 🧠 Topics of Interest
• 🎓 Profile
• 📚 Further Reading
• 📄 Requirements to any Work
• 📬 How to Apply

💡 Background

The increasing adoption of AI technologies in various industries has shown promising results in streamlining processes and improving efficiency. However, the potential of AI in the realm of administration and desk job roles remains largely unexplored. By delving into this topic, we can uncover opportunities to harness AI's capabilities and revolutionize traditional administrative tasks, leading to increased productivity, reduced workload, and enhanced job satisfaction for workers in these roles.

🦾Who We Are

The Chair for Strategy and Organization is focused on research with impact. This means we do not want to repeat old ideas and base our research solely on the research people did 10 years ago. Instead, we currently research topics that will shape the future. Topics such as Agile Organizations and Digital Disruption, Blockchain Technology, Creativity and Innovation, Digital Transformation and Business Model Innovation, Diversity, Education: Education Technology and Performance Management, HRTech, Leadership, and Teams.. We are always early in noticing trends, technologies, strategies, and organizations that shape the future, which has its ups and downs.

This thesis will be co-supervised Isabell Welpe and Bernd Storm.

🎯 Goals

1. Identify the specific pain points and challenges faced by administrative and desk job workers in their daily tasks and responsibilities.
2. Explore the potential of AI technologies, such as natural language processing, machine learning, and robotic process automation, in automating and streamlining administrative processes.
3. Evaluate the impact of AI on productivity, efficiency, and job satisfaction of administration and desk job workers in different industries.
4. Investigate innovative AI-driven approaches for managing and organizing data, scheduling, communication, and other administrative tasks to optimize workflow and enhance productivity.
5. Examine the ethical and privacy considerations associated with the use of AI in administrative roles and develop frameworks for responsible AI implementation.
6. Identify training and skill development opportunities for administration and desk job workers to adapt to the changing work environment influenced by AI technologies.
7. Analyze the potential cost savings and resource allocation benefits that can be achieved through AI implementation in administrative functions.
8. Collaborate with practitioners and industry experts to gather real-world insights and case studies on the successful integration of AI in administrative roles.
9. Assess the readiness and barriers for organizations in adopting AI technologies for administrative tasks and develop strategies for

🧠 Topics of Interest

• Document Analysis and Contract Review: The students will investigate the use of AI algorithms for document analysis and contract review, enabling administrative professionals to efficiently review and extract essential information from extensive volumes of documents. This application of AI will save time, reduce human error, and enhance accuracy in administrative tasks.
• Predictive Analytics in Litigation and Case Outcome: The students will examine how AI-powered predictive analytics can assist administrative professionals in predicting case outcomes, assessing risks, and developing effective strategies. By leveraging AI algorithms and analyzing relevant data, professionals will make more informed decisions, optimizing their performance and achieving favorable outcomes in litigation cases.
• Workflow Optimization and Task Automation: The students will explore how AI can optimize workflow management and automate repetitive tasks in administrative work. By integrating AI technologies, professionals will experience streamlined processes, reduced inefficiencies, and more time to focus on complex and strategic responsibilities. Ultimately, this will lead to increased productivity in administrative roles.
• Virtual Assistants and Chatbots for Administrative Support: The students will investigate the use of AI-powered virtual assistants and chatbots to provide on-demand administrative support, answer commonly asked questions, and assist with basic tasks. By harnessing AI technologies, professionals will benefit from enhanced productivity as routine administrative responsibilities are alleviated. Additionally, clients will have access to convenient and accessible support for their administrative needs.

🎓 Profile

• Proficiency in conducting interviews
• Enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master's program related to Business Administration/Management/Consulting
• Fluent in English (additional proficiency in German is a plus)
• Reliable, self-driven, and motivated
• Demonstrated interest in administration and office work
• Passion for learning and conducting impactful research

📚 Further Reading

1. Davenport, T., & Ronanki, R. (2018). Artificial Intelligence for the Real World. Harvard Business Review.
2. Makridakis, S. (2017). The forthcoming Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution: Its impact on society and firms. Futures.
3. Arntz, M., Gregory, T., & Zierahn, U. (2016). The Risk of Automation for Jobs in OECD Countries: A Comparative Analysis. OECD Social, Employment, and Migration Working Papers, No. 189, OECD Publishing, Paris.
4. Bessen, J. E. (2019). AI and Jobs: The Role of Demand. NBER Working Paper No. 24235. National Bureau of Economic Research.
5. Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2014). The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies. W. W. Norton & Company.
6. Chui, M., Manyika, J., Miremadi, M. (2016). Where machines could replace humans—and where they can’t (yet). McKinsey Quarterly.
7. Brougham, D., & Haar, J. (2017). Smart Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Algorithms (STARA): Employees' perceptions of our future workplace. Journal of Management & Organization, 24(2), 239-257.
8. Davenport, T. H., & Kirby, J. (2016). Only humans need apply: winners and losers in the age of smart machines. Harper Business.

📄 Requirements to any Work

We do not want your research to gather dust in some corner of the bookshelf but make it accessible to the world. Thus, we warmly encourage you to create some or all of the following:

• Infograph - visually represent some of your work
• Slide Deck - prepare a slide deck on your overall topic with relevant, interesting, and impactful findings
• MVP- Develop a prototype with us for training administrative workers on how to use AI for their benefit

📬 How to Apply

If you are interested, please contact Isabell Welpe and Bernd Storm by submitting your CV, a grade report, a short motivation and your suggested research approach.

We are looking forward to hearing from you!

👉 Bernd: bernd@bitsandpretzels.com

👉 Isabell: welpe@tum.de