On Friday, February 28, 2020, a discussion between the departments of Information Systems (Prof. Dr. Jan Marco Leimeister) and Quality and Process Management (Prof. Dr.-Ing. Robert Refflinghaus) of the University of Kassel and representatives of the employers' associationHESSENMETALLNordhessentook place in the House of Employers' Associations in Kassel . The topic was the question of which benefits in particular small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) can derive from crowdsourcingas anew form of work organization. The two departments of the University of Kassel, together with the employers' association Hessenmetall Nordhessen and other companies and associations, are planning to carry out a project, which willexplore possible uses of crowdsourcing in SMEs   and test the use of crowdsourcing in SMEs under scientific supervision of the two departments. In particular, the question of which quality management measures are necessary in this context for SMEs to leverage the full potential of crowdsourcing will be the focus of this project.

Jürgen Kümpel, managing director of the employers' association HESSENMETALL in Northern Hesse, Achim Schnyder, head of the press office at the House of Employers' Associations, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Robert Refflinghaus, head of the Quality and Process Management department, Dr. Sandra Klute-Wenig, research associate at the Quality and Process Management department, and Volkmar Mrass, research associate at the Business Information Systems department, took part in the discussion. 

After the welcome and introduction of the associations located in the Haus der Arbeitgeverbände by Jürgen Kümpel and Achim Schnyder and a presentation of the Department of Quality and Process Management including its current research topics by Prof. Dr. Robert Refflinghaus, Volkmar Mrass introduced the Department of Business Informatics as well as the topic of crowdsourcing including the performance of work via crowdworking platforms and its potential for companies. Afterwards, possibilities of cooperation between the employers' association and the departments were discussed together within the framework of this planned project.