Chatting for Change: A Design Science Study into Crafting a Chatbot System for Corporate Sustainability

Abstract

Conversational agents (CAs) are emerging as valuable information system artifacts with the potential to drive sustainability practices within corporate environments. Despite the growing significance of corporate sustainability, the systematic integration of CAs in this domain remains largely unexplored. Addressing this gap, our study employs a design science research approach to explore how CAs can be designed to support sustainable corporate behavior through the lens of the Fogg behavior model. Using a pre-study, literature review, and a series of interviews, we derive meta-requirements, design principles, and a conceptual framework to guide the development of sustainability-oriented chatbots. Our findings contribute to information systems (IS) research by advancing knowledge on socio-technical system design and IS-enabled sustainable practices. By providing prescriptive insights, we highlight how chatbots can shape employee behavior, reinforcing their potential as enablers of corporate sustainability.