Citizen Developer als Katalysatoren für die Entwicklung mitarbeitergetriebener Innovationen

The rapid development of digital technologies has increased the need for fast and efficient software development in organizations. In this context, no- and low-code platforms (NLCPs) have unleashed transformative potential by enabling employees without extensive programming skills and outside the IT department to develop digital innovations independently. These employees, referred to as citizen developers (CDs), use NLCPs as primary digital tools, enabling organizations to foster their innovation capabilities by incorporating CDs into the concept of employee-driven innovation bottom-up. This article examines the problem at the interface between idea generation and implementation, where ordinary employees develop ideas but cannot implement them without support, for example, from the IT department, due to a lack of programming skills. A systematic literature review was conducted to analyze the ability of CDs to develop employee-driven innovations and the impact factors involved. The key findings include the identification and description of four enabling factors (e.g., lower entry barriers) and four inhibiting factors (e.g., limited functionality of NLCPs) in the bottom-up development process of CDs. In addition, five practice-oriented recommendations for integrating NLCPs for CDs in organizations were derived. These recommendations include establishing an IT governance framework, promoting CD-supporting organizational structures, ensuring IT and cross-departmental collaboration, and providing training. Moreover, five generative artificial intelligence application areas were identified that can support and enable CDs. These include the description and generation of program code, the design and creation of prototypes, the automation of routine tasks, and the support of creative processes for finding solutions.