Business Unit Development: Vorteile und Herausforderungen für beteiligte Mitarbeiter

The ongoing shortage of skilled workers in the IT sector is a key challenge for companies and is hampering progress in the digital transformation. As a result, the use of low-code/no-code (LCNC) is gaining increasing interest both in practice and in science to enable non-IT-employees to independently develop digitization and automation solutions as so-called business unit developers. So far, the scientific literature has focused on the technical aspects of LCNC, while questions about the optimal introduction in companies remain unanswered. This research examines the practical implementation of business unit development programs in companies to identify the effects on participating employees. In cooperation with Stadtwerke München (SWM) a comprehensive case study was conducted to investigate the implementation of a business unit development initiative. The results show how business unit development is perceived by participating employees and what individual benefits arise for them. Furthermore, they reveal challenges employees face in the context of business unit development and how the development and use of LCNC applications affects their day-to-day work. The results contribute to a better understanding of the practical use of LCNC in companies and point to new fields of research. In addition, the results can support companies in making organizational and strategic decisions in the context of setting up and scaling a business unit development initiative.