Design Theories in Information Systems - A Need for Multi-Grounding

Within the information systems community there is growing interest in design theories. These theories are aimed to give knowledge support to design activities. Design theories are considered as theorized practical knowledge. This paper is an inquiry into the epistemology of design theories. It is an inquiry in how to justify such knowledge; the need to ground and how to ground a design theory. A distinction is made between empirical, theoretical and internal grounding. The empirical grounding has to do with the effectiveness of the application of knowledge. External theoretical grounding relates design theory to other theories. One part of this is the grounding of the design knowledge in general explanatory theories. Internal grounding means an investigation of internal warrants (e.g. as values and categories) and internal cohesion of the knowledge. Together, these different grounding processes form a coherent approach for the multi-grounding of design theory (MGDT). As illustrations some examples of design theories in IS are discussed. These are design theories concerning business interaction which are based on language action theories

Practical Inquiry as Action Research and Beyond

Action research is now a well established research approach within information systems. Action research is defined as having dual purposes; contributing to changes in a local practice and to the scientific body of knowledge. It is often seen as way to ensure practical relevance in the research. However, in the definitions of action research nothing is explicitly said about the need to develop general knowledge of practical relevance and usefulness. As an alternative and a complement to action research, another research approach is elaborated: practical inquiry. This approach relies on pragmatic philosophy. Practical inquiry shares many similarities with action research, but there are some important differences. The purpose of a practical inquiry is, through empirical study on practical matters in local practices, to contribute to general practical knowledge. This practical knowledge will be part of the scientific body of knowledge and it aims to be useful for practical affairs. In many situations, practical inquiry will also include intervention, of varying degrees, into the studied local practices. The general practical knowledge is often formulated as practical theories. Purposes and constituents of practical theories are described. An illustration of a combined practical inquiry and action research study is described in the paper

The Generation of Qualitative Data in Information Systems Research: The Diversity of Empirical Research Methods

This paper investigates the concept of data collection in information systems qualitative research. In this text, I replace the term “data collection” with “data generation” to emphasize that the researcher arranges situations that produce rich and meaningful data for further analysis. Data generation comprises activities such as searching for, focusing on, noting, selecting, extracting, and capturing data. This paper analyzes and compares a repertoire of empirical research methods for generating qualitative data. It describes and visualizes (through a common data-generation template) 12 research methods: interviewing, questionnaire study, document study, artifact study, observation study, participant observation, intervention study, practice-based design study, lab-based design study, focus group study, test study, and self-reporting. I compare these data-generation methods according to 1) the researcher’s role in data generation, 2) data generation’s influence on everyday life reality, 3) each data-generation method’s relationship to everyday life reality, 4) what parts/mediators of everyday life reality each data-generation method addresses, 5) the expected value of generated data and 6) possible shortcomings in generated data. As a basis for investigating data generation, I ontologically clarify (based on a practice-theoretical perspective) the empirical landscape of information systems (the kinds of phenomena and sources of data that exist). A concluding discussion contains 1) analyses concerning relationships between data-generation methods and compound research methods/strategies such as case study research, action research, and design science research and 2) the role of interpretation in data generation versus data analysis

Design Science Epistemology. A pragmatist inquiry

This paper contributes to the clarification of a design science epistemology. It presents different epistemic types related to three stages of the design science process: 1) Evaluative and explanatory background knowledge (pre-design knowledge), 2) prospective knowledge with design hypotheses (in-design knowledge) and 3) prescriptive knowledge with design principles (post-design knowledge). The epistemological inquiry adopts a pragmatist approach and is pursued through a review of design science literature and informed by an empirical design case on digital support for social welfare allowances. The clarified design science epistemology shows a diversified epistemological landscape with several epistemic types: evaluative, critical, appreciative, normative, explanatory, prospective, prescriptive, categorial and attributive knowledge. Ways to express these epistemic types have been proposed in principal clauses. Ways of grounding have been clarified for each epistemic type. Proposals are given on how to utilize the design science epistemology in relation to design science process models and publication schemas

Method Engineering as Design Science

In this paper, we motivate, devise, demonstrate, and evaluate an approach for the research-based development of information systems development methods (ISDMs). This approach, termed “method engineering as design science” (ME-DS), emerged from the identified need for scholars to develop ISDMs using proper research methods that meet the standards of both rigor and relevance. ISDMs occupy a position of central importance to information systems development and scholars have therefore invested extensive resources over the years in developing such methods. The method engineering (ME) discipline has developed different frameworks and methods to guide such development work and, for that purpose, they are well-suited. Still, there remains a need for applications and evaluations of ISDMs based on the demands for knowledge justification. Unfortunately, in many cases, scholars come up short with regard to how ISDMs are generated and empirically validated. While design science (DS) stresses knowledge justification, prominent DS approaches seem to be biased toward the development of IT artifacts, making this approach ill-suited for the development of method artifacts. We therefore propose eight principles that marry ME and DS, resulting in a process model with six activities to support research-based development of ISDMs. We demonstrate and evaluate ME-DS by assessing three existing research papers that propose ISDMs. These retrospectives show how ME-DS directs attention to certain aspects of the research process and provides support for future ISDM development

De la parité à la diversité : entre Deuxième sexe et discrimination seconde

En continuité avec les travaux portant sur la genèse et l'évaluation des lois dites sur la parité, nous questionnerons les enjeux du glissement de la parité à la diversité dans l'espace public français. Nous nous inscrirons ainsi en complémentarité avec les travaux sur l'émergence du terme de diversité, ses usages sociaux et les polémiques concernant sa mesure. Notre hypothèse est que ce glissement participe à l'institutionnalisation d'une égalité sous condition de performance de la différence. Afin de la tester, nous avons croisé l'analyse de rapports, travaux et déclarations sur la diversité avec une enquête qualitative auprès de plus de 150 actrices et acteurs concernés par l'émergence de la diversité comme problème social et politique dans l'espace public : des responsables politiques, institutionnels, religieux, associatifs, syndicalistes, du monde de l'entreprise et des universitaires.In keeping with works on the origins and evaluation of France's ‘parity’ laws, this paper examines the issues involved in the shift in emphasis from ‘parity’ to ‘diversity’ in the French public sphere. The paper builds on, and contributes to, studies of the emergence of the term ‘diversity’, its social meanings and the debates concerning its measurement. Our hypothesis is that this shift helps institutionalise an equality that has become conditional on the performance of difference. To test this hypothesis, the analysis cross-references reports, scholarly studies and declarations on diversity with a qualitative survey of more than 150 public figures who are affected by the emergence of diversity as a social and political problem in the public sphere. The interviewees include politicians, civil servants, academics, and leaders of religious groups, pressure groups, trade unions and businesses

Collaboration and validation in practice research and design research: Editorial

In information systems (IS) there is a long tradition with research involving the influence of practice. Such research does not only create new knowledge. All researchaims for new knowledge. In traditional explanatory research scholars attempts to create new knowledge about circumstances not yet well understood. But practice influencing research creates new circumstances and as a consequence it creates knowledgeabout this new possibility. This kind of research means participating in the creation of new possibilities. Such a creation processes consists usually of different stages; first a proposal stage where some new possibilities are envisioned in relation to backdrop of problems and needs, second an attempt to realize the new possibilities and third, an investigation of use and effects of the new possibilities

Developing eInteractions - A Framework for Business Capabilities and Exchanges

The development of e-interactions (IT supported business interaction) need to be facilitated by comprehensive frameworks for business interaction. Existing frameworks cover fragments of the important constituents of business interaction. Based on a review of existing frameworks a more comprehensive one is presented in this paper. This comprehensive framework builds upon a symmetric focus on a supplier and on a customer. Attention is directed towards both communicative and material/financial exchanges. It distinguishes between different levels (markets level and dyadic level) of business interaction and acknowledges the dynamics of business interaction as the continual development of capabilities and business relations. On the dyadic level a distinction is made between frame contracting and business transaction. The proposed framework should be and has been used for evaluating, modelling and designing e-interactions

IT artefact & practice theorizing – pragmatic perspectives: Editorial

During the last decade, there has been a growing interest for theorizing in the information systems (IS) discipline. One important impetus for this was the call for theo-rizing the IT artefact as articulated by Orlikowski & Iacono (2001). Another impetus was similar claims by Benbasat & Zmud (2003). Besides concrete theory contributions, there have been further discourses on what to theorize and how to theorize. It is not only the IT artefact that needs theorizing, following claims by Orlikowski & Iacono (2001). There are also claims for theorizing practices (e.g. Feldman & Orlikowski, 2011). There is also a growing interest for the constituents of a theory and how to theorize (e.g. Gregor, 2006). This is actually well represented in pragmatic research approaches, such as design research (e.g. Gregor & Jones, 2007; Kuechler & Vaishanvi, 2012) and action research (Davison et al, 2012). Following these interests in theorizing IT artefacts and practices we are happy to present this special issue