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

DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR HUMAN-CENTRED AI

Advancements within artificial intelligence (AI) enable organisations to reformulate strategies for exploiting data in order to refine their business models, make better decisions and maintain a competitive advantage. We recognise the technical advantages of AI. However, our view is that the technical perspective as a base for decision-making is necessary but insufficient. Several studies in human science report that essential human knowledge and competencies that affect decision making are not represented in AI systems. Based on this observation, we have developed design principles for developing decision-support systems (DSS) that combine human intelligence (HI) with AI. The design principles are: design for amplified decision-making, design for unbiased decision-making and design for human and AI learning. The design principles constitute the scientific contribution to the emergent field of Human-Centred AI. The contribution to practice consists of a DSS (a digital prototype) that supports the combination of HI and AI

Design Science Research Constructs: a Conceptual Model

Design science research (DSR) has become an accepted as well as legitimated research paradigm within the IS discipline. DSR has had a significant impact on IS research and it has the potential to become even more successful. One reason for not being fully adopted is due to gaps in the understanding of DSR constructs. Our literature review has revealed that constructs often are: abstract, synonymous, overlapping, offering slightly different definitions, and difficult to grasp. One implication of these problems is that it might be hard to communicate research results not only to other researchers within the DSR community but also to other disciplines. Consequently, the purpose of this study has been to suggest a conceptual model that includes key DSR constructs and their relationships that can contribute to the understanding and communication of the DSR phenomenon

ITIL compliance with a Service Perspective: a Review Based on Service-Dominant Logic

Information technology implementation continues to be a challenging process for many organisations and one of the challenges is the transition to service orientation. To apply a service perspective is not a minor change of attitude; it is a paradigm shift for the whole IT sector. Providers of IT services can no longer afford to focus on solving technical problems, they now have to consider the quality of the ser-vices and focus on the relationship with customers. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the popular ITIL frameworks comply with a service perspective. We have used service-dominant logic as an analysis model to find out how ITIL corresponds to a service perspective. The findings show that while ITIL highly corresponds to the service perspective in some aspects it fails in others, such as rec-ognising the customers as value co-creators and that products are a distribution mechanism for ser-vices

Inscribing Service into IT Service Management

Processes of IT Service Management (ITSM) are often defined in frameworks and standards pre-sented as best practices. However, existing best practices are often solely directed to service provid-ers, which does not correlate to a modern service-dominant logic. Moreover, existing best practices are often regarded as too comprehensive which prevents several actors from adopting them. Thus, this paper is based on the idea that there is a need to study how foundational premises of the service dominant logic could be inscribed into essential ITSM processes. This, we argue, will support practi-tioners to embrace a service culture while streamlining their work with ITSM work procedures. To this end, we have collaborated with service providers and service customers and adopted the Action Design Research methodology in order to identify, modify and evaluate essential ITSM processes in practice. Our theoretical contribution constitutes normative knowledge of enhanced essential ITSM processes from a service-dominant logic perspective

Challenges Concerning Data-Driven Innovation

Digital transformation is highly relevant to most organisations in the business and the government sectors. One important aspect of digital transformation is the capability to exploit data in order to develop new services. For a number of businesses, this capability has become an imperative to their survival in an ever more competitive market. Today, data exploitation is of vital importance for innovation and economic growth. However, there is a lack of consolidated knowledge about the challenges of managing processes for service innovation. The purpose of this study is to elaborate on challenges concerning data-driven service innovation. We have used the Grounded Theory approach to identify such challenges which are: lack of a systematic process, problems with data access, distrust of data, lack of appropriate digital tools and insufficient competence. Our conclusions reveal that data is rarely used as a strategic resource in data-driven service innovation and that there is a lack of data management

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

Researcher-Practitioner Collaboration in Action Design Research

Action Design Research (ADR) is a well-known research method within Design Science Research (DSR). An essential characteristic of the ADR method is the need for researcher-practitioner collaboration (RPC). While there is abundant research on RPC regarding information systems projects in general concerning explanatory and normative knowledge, there is very limited prescriptive knowledge on how to execute RPC in ADR projects. Successful collaboration in ADR projects is imperative since the development of socio-technical IT artefacts requires frequent interaction in organisational contexts. However, RPC can be hard to manage due to competing interests. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present prescriptive knowledge for how to manage RPC. We have analysed a collaborative ADR project consisting of several researchers and practitioners. Based on a grounded theory approach, we have developed theoretical models based on challenges identified in an ADR project. The models provide prescriptive knowledge regarding: shape the IT artefact based on organisational intervention, exploit the mutual dependency between developing design principles and IT artefacts, and contextualise and generalise learning. Each model involves logical relationships between: conditions for the challenges, actions taken to address the challenges and consequences of the actions taken. The guidelines were deducted from the models and consist of recommendations that could be considered in future ADR projects

IT Service Management: The Alignment of ITIL Practitioner with Service-Dominant Logic

The application of a service-oriented perspective in the IT sector has become the paradigm, making managers highly aware of the importance of being service oriented and customer focused. In the IT sector, a service-oriented perspective is encompassed in the widespread field of IT Service Management (ITSM). However, while ITSM practitioners are, to a certain degree, becoming aware of the benefits of the contemporary Service-Dominant Logic perspective, the primary market view still adheres to Goods-Dominant Logic. The majority of IT organisations around the globe rely on the ITSM framework ITIL in order to adopt and adapt a service perspective. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the ITIL Practitioner (the latest ITIL book) complies with Service-Dominant Logic. The paper discusses findings in relation to four codes: Definition of service, The role of the service provider, Value and value propositions, and Co-creation

Designing Digital Resourcing

Digital innovation has become imperative for organizational survival and is increasingly contributing to the growth of national wealth. A central element of digital innovation, brought into light in this dissertation, is digital resourc-ing. Digital resourcing refers to actions managing digital resources in the dis-covery stage of the digital innovation process. The increased awareness of ef-ficient resource management has spurred organizations to search for opera-tional digital resourcing systems that can support their innovation effort. How-ever, there is a lack of existing purposeful digital resourcing systems corre-sponding to the contemporary ideals serving the requirements of practitioners. This is problematic because it hampers human actors in service ecosystems from mobilizing, decoupling, and pairing digital resources that can leverage sustainable competitive advantages. The problem addressed has provided the momentum to concentrate the research effort into one single research question: How should digital resourcing systems be designed to spur the discovery of digital innovations? Consequently, the purpose of this study has been to iden-tify design knowledge supporting the development of digital resourcing sys-tems, and, to provide an operational digital resourcing system supporting or-ganizations in the discovery stage of the digital innovation process. The main theoretical contribution corresponds to three abstraction levels of design knowledge: 1) an operational web-based digital resourcing system, 2) design principles, and finally, 3) an IS design theory for digital resourcing. The results show that the design knowledge works, provides utility for its purpose, helps to solve the problem, and is correct