Participation in the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS) 2025

As part of this year’s European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2025), Prof. Dr. Maik Hammerschmidt and Katharina Berendes presented their current paper entitled “From Tensions to Transformation: Navigating Latent Tensions and Salient Paradoxes in AI Adoption by Grocery Retail SMEs” in the session Societal, Ethical and Organizational Implications of AI.




The study examines how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the grocery retail sector deal with the paradoxical tensions that arise when adopting artificial intelligence (AI). Based on 18 qualitative interviews, the study shows how SMEs often address these tensions with short-term (“single loop”) measures, while long-term transformations (“double loop”) are pursued much less frequently. In doing so, the existing double-loop model (Berti & Cunha, 2023) is applied to this specific context and further developed with empirical evidence.



Due to the current situation in the Middle East, the conference was held at short notice in a hybrid format. We thank all participants of the online session for the inspiring exchange. Next year, we look forward to participating in person again.