A four-cycle model of IS design science research: capturing the dynamic nature of IS artifact design

We propose to extend the well-known three-cycle view for design science research (DSR) with a fourth cycle (change and impact cycle) that captures the dynamic nature of IS artifact design for volatile environments. The appropriation of in-innovative designs results in organizational changes that happen outside the new artifacts' immediate application contexts. The intention behind introducing the fourth cycle is to integrate recent advances in the DSR discourse conceptually within the DSR cycle model. We critically review such recent advances and integrate them into an extended model. We show how this change and impact (CI) cycle adds an important facet to DSR to cope with dynamic application contexts as well as artifact-induced organizational change and the resulting need for follow-up design efforts. Iterations of the CI cycle represent the continuous design evolution required to keep up with changing organizational environments

Design science research for holistic climate services

The innovated fitness-utility Systems Design Research (SDR) model is generalized from the Extended Action Design Research (EADR) model and discussed in terms of the Design Science Research (DSR) framework. In the context of SDR as well as the recent Paris Agreement, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Agenda for Humanity the challenges of holistic climate services are discussed. As an application of the trans-disciplinary SDR holistic grass-root mobile climate services are developed for local farmers in communities of an African developing country

UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM – INNOVATION IN THE WELFARE SECTOR THROUGH ACTION DESIGN RESEARCH

Action design research (ADR) is a method to produce knowledge and solve real-world problems through the design of innovative IT/IS artifacts. The starting point for all design science research projects is the identification of a significant problem. However, ADR does not provide detailed guidance in the early stages of the problem formulation. This makes the initial problem formulation process challenging, especially when innovating new artifacts in complex settings. The paper contributes to this discussion by exploring how the Work Systems (WS) snapshot can be used as a tool for identifying and understanding a problem domain. The study leans on a project that focuses on the welfare sector and the transition from school to employment for persons with intellectual disability. We show that the WS snapshot can provide guidance and structure in conceptualizing the problem and that user journeys can assist in communicating the findings to practitioners. However, we encountered challenges relating to the scope and the granularity of the work system. In addition, the complexity of the welfare sector demands that significant time is spend on understanding not only the problem domain itself, but also the surrounding settings

ORGANIZATIONAL READINESS FOR DIGITAL INTRAPRENEURSHIP: TOWARDS THE DESIGN OF AN ASSESSMENT TOOL

In today\u27s hyper-dynamic business environment, the capability to foster innovation is critical. Many organizations recognize their employees as an unresolved source for innovation during digital transformation. Consequently, intrapreneurship has become of strategic importance, and initiatives, such as digital intrapreneurship platforms, arise. However, many initiatives do not provide aspired outcomes due to the lack of organizational readiness. We follow the action design research method to design a multi-dimensional framework that measures organizational readiness for digital intrapreneurship. Hitherto, we identify 27 factors that contribute to an organization\u27s readiness for the successful implementation and usage of digital intrapreneurship platforms. Ultimately, we strive to provide a digital intrapreneurship readiness tool that helps innovation managers to detect and remove hindering factors before implementing solutions

Empirical Evaluation of Action Design Research

There has been a growing interest in information systems (IS) research as design research. One popular methodology is Action Design Research (ADR). Despite the popularity, ADR lacks proper evaluation based on primary data. We claim that the existing empirical evidence justifying ADR is either fragmented or based on reconstructions of prior studies conducted for other purposes. Our claim is supported by the authors of ADR who state that “ … because the VIP project was not conducted explicitly as ADR, it cannot be viewed as an exemplar of its application”. The purpose of this study is to provide empirical evidence. Examples of empirical evidence show that ADR is highly relevant for an applied discipline such as IS, it creates a bridge between user-oriented perspectives of the IT artefact and technological perspectives and it supports a conceptual movement from a specific instance to a search for a class of problems

Systems action design research : delineation of an application to develop hybrid local climate services

In this thesis, a Systems Action Design Research (SADR) model was developed, which allows the Action Design Research Paradigm to be extended to process hybrid systems of stationary or changing interacting systems; including both quantitative and qualitative aspects. The crucial challenge is to get the experts and grass-root end-users to work together actively in a participatory and cocreative way instead of the foremost current expert dominated practices. Hence the basic model is engaged with an epistemic Delphi entry process, which considers the particular application. This study delineates a unique application to develop hybrid local climate services, which take into account also humanitarian values and presents three case studies done in Mozambique, Kenya, and Tanzania conducted by design thinking.Tutkimuksessa on kehitetty vuorovaikutteisten järjestelmien toiminnan suunnittelun tutkimusmalli, joka laajentaa aikaisempia toiminnan suunnittelun tutkimusmalleja stationaarisiin tai muuttuviin vuorovaikutteisiin mahdollisimman kokonaisvaltaisiin eli hybrideihin järjestelmiin. Malli ottaa huomioon sekä määrällisiä että laadullisia tekijöitä. Vielä nykyisin vallalla olevien asiantuntijapainotteisten käytäntöjen välttämättömänä haasteena on saattaa asiantuntijat ja ruohonjuuritason loppukäyttäjät työskentelemään yhteisen luovuuden merkeissä osallistavalla tavalla. Tästä syystä kehitetyn mallin olennaisena osana on episteeminen, sovelluskohtainen Delphi-prosessi. Sovelluksena toteutettavien hybridien paikallisten loppukäyttäjien tietotarpeita palvelevien mobiili-ilmastomallien osalta viitoitetaan tämän sovelluksen pääpiirteet tutkimuksessa esitetyn mallin näkökulmasta sekä esitetään kolmen Itä-Afrikassa (Mosambik, Kenia ja Tansania) suunnitteluajattelun mukaisesti toteutetun ideointiprojektin ehdotukset. Kehitettävissä mobiiliilmastopalveluissa otetaan soveltuvin osin huomioon myös humanitaariset arvot. Tulokset osoittavat, että kehitetty malli voi avata uusia näköaloja hybridien paikallisten mobiili-ilmastopalvelujen kehittämiseen ruohonjuuritason viljelijöille

Use It or Lose It: Embodying Practice in Action Design Research (ADR)

This paper describes the adoption, implementation and empirical evaluation of Action Design Research (ADR) during an 18-month Industry-Academic research partnership. It details the theoretical basis for our research and the selection of ADR as the overarching approach. It describes our adoption of an explicitly interpretivist perspective to answer a broad research question which necessitate up-front exploratory research. It then traces the efficacy-in-use of the ADR approach for supporting our project, with its emphasis on interpretivist theory and research. The key contribution of this paper is an ADR variant suitable to projects of a similar nature to ours. Our findings are relevant to any discipline that engages in Industry-Academic collaboration, particularly with regard to socio-technical problems, including, for example, Information Systems (IS), Management and Organization Studies

Evaluation of Action Design Research

Design science research (DSR) is a legitimate research paradigm in the discipline of information systems (IS). One prominent DSR method is Action Design Research (ADR). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the ADR method based on empirical experiences from a research project. We have found that the ADR method is highly relevant to an applied discipline such as IS. It creates a bridge between the organisational perspective and the technical perspective of the IT artefact. Moreover, the ADR method supports the dual mission of developing theory and producing knowledge that supports IS practitioners. The findings also include empirical evidence pointing towards a lack of prescriptive guidance with respect to the challenges such as: how to identify appropriate evaluation strategies, how to identify the abstraction mechanisms required to move from the specific-and-unique to the generic-and-abstract, and how to formulate design principles. Although we found adequate support at the macro level, the ADR method needs more detailed support for operationalisation in practice. To address this issue, we propose a number of guidelines that either seek to improve the ADR method or support those who apply ADR

Breakthroughs and emerging insights from ongoing design science projects: Research-in-progress papers and poster presentations from the 11th international conference on design science research in information systems and technology (DESRIST) 2016. St. John, Newfoundland, Canada, May 23-25

This volume contains selected research-in-progress papers and poster presentations from DESRIST 2016 - the 11th International Conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems and Technology held during 24-25 May 2016 at St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. DESRIST provides a platform for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss Design Science research. The 11th DESRIST built on the foundation of ten prior highly successful international conferences held in Claremont, Pasadena, Atlanta, Philadelphia, St. Gallen, Milwaukee, Las Vegas, Helsinki, Miami, and Dublin. This year's conference places a special emphasis on using Design Science to engage with the growing challenges that face society, including (but not limited to) demands on health care systems, climate change, and security. With these challenges in mind, individuals from academia and industry came together to discuss important ongoing work and to share emerging knowledge and ideas. Design Science projects often involve multiple sub-problems, meaning there may be a delay before the final set of findings can be laid out. Hence, this volume "Breakthroughs and Observations from Ongoing Design Science Projects" presents preliminary findings from studies that are still underway. Completed research from DESRIST 2016 is presented in a separate volume entitled "Tackling Society's Grand Challenges with Design Science", which is published by Springer International Publishing, Switzerland. The final set of accepted papers in this volume reflects those presented at DESRIST 2016, including 11 research-in-progress papers and 4 abstracts for poster presentations. Each research-in-progress paper and each poster abstract was reviewed by a minimum of two referees. We would like to thank the authors who submitted their research-in-progress papers and poster presentations to DESRIST 2016, the referees who took the time to construct detailed and constructive reviews, and the Program Committee who made the event possible. Furthermore we thank the sponsoring organisations, in particular Maynooth University, Claremont Graduate University, and Memorial University of Newfoundland, for their financial support. We believe the research described in this volume addresses some of the most topical and interesting design challenges facing the field of information systems. We hope that readers find the insights provided by authors as valuable and thought-provoking as we have, and that the discussion of such early findings can help to maximise their impact