The European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2026), held in Milan, Italy, brought together Information Systems researchers from around the world to exchange ideas and discuss current developments in the field. Representing the Chair of Information Systems, Digital Innovation and Performance Management at the University of Duisburg-Essen, doctoral researcher Falco Korn participated in both the ECIS Doctoral Consortium and the main conference.

As one of 23 selected PhD students, Korn participated in the invitation-only ECIS Doctoral Consortium, an international forum designed to support doctoral researchers in advancing their dissertation projects. In an interactive setting, participants presented and discussed their research, received constructive feedback from peers and senior scholars, and engaged in exchange with fellow doctoral researchers from across the Information Systems community. Korn worked closely with mentors Leona Sandra Kruse (University of Agder) and Dov Te'eni (Tel Aviv University), whose feedback and guidance provided valuable impulses for further refining his dissertation.

Following the consortium, Korn presented the paper “Mind The Mess: A Matrix of Personal Knowledge Management Challenges Across the Knowledge Lifecycle” during the ECIS main conference. Co-authored with Dennis Kolender, Rafael Ziolkowski, Erik Karger, and Frederik Ahlemann, the paper examines the challenges knowledge workers face in managing information across fragmented digital environments and develops a diagnostic framework for identifying and understanding personal knowledge management challenges.

Overall, ECIS 2026 provided an excellent opportunity to receive constructive feedback on ongoing research, engage with the international Information Systems community, and present current work to a broad academic audience. The conference offered valuable insights and perspectives that will further contribute to both Korn's dissertation project and the chair's research activities.