Mary Maher’s scientific contributions

Context: Low-code/no-code (LCNC) is an emerging technology trend which expose software development beyond just the software engineers making it available to everyone in organizations and across society. Objective: We aim to provide a holistic review of the current state-of-research on the adoption of LCNC technologies in citizen development (CD) practices for digital transformation (DT), as well as a research agenda in this area. Method: This review is primarily conducted using a multi-phase systematic literature review on publications over the past five years, i.e., between 2017 and 2023. Results: We identified 40 primary studies that describes the application of LCNC development and CD practices, applied theoretical lens/frameworks, and its associated benefits and challenges. Conclusion: In this study, we present three key contributions. First, a comprehensive review of the benefits, challenges, theoretical perspectives, and methods in investigating LCNC and CD adoptions. Second, we provide an informative framework that can help managers to approach LCNC and CD practices. Third, our systematic review highlights gaps and opportunities in the extant studies to develop a research agenda.

Digital transformation is a core priority for many organizations, but their transformation journeys are often extremely challenging with much uncertainty and high failure rates. We describe how international energy company Shell is successfully digitally transforming its organization and operations by enabling employees to develop “do it yourself” applications that produce significant benefits through its Citizen Development program. Based on Shell’s experience, we provide recommendations for establishing a Citizen Development program that empowers employees to successfully embed and drive digital transformation initiatives.