The Pursuit of Innovative Theory in the Digital Age

2023 | Journal of Information Technology | Citations: 1

Authors: Grover, Varun; Lyytinen, Kalle

Abstract: Grover & Lyytinen (2015) urged to reassess the Information System (IS) field?s e ... Expand

Abstract: Grover & Lyytinen (2015) urged to reassess the Information System (IS) field?s exclusive dependence on reference theories and to engage more in blue-ocean theorizing. From its inception, such need has been latent in the field, because it deals with novel, fast changing, complex, and systemic phenomena that is hard to account with received theory. We note in this essay that the need for innovative theorizing is heightened given the unprecedented, pervasive digitalization of contemporary society, accelerated by ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In this essay, we scrutinize further the idea of blue-ocean theorizing and review the characteristics, impediments, and merits of developing innovative theory. We define endeavors toward such theory as collectively endorsed cognitive processes which increase variance and novelty of theoretical accounts of IS phenomena. These push to deviate from the field?s established theoretical (canonical) core by relaxing six assumptions that guide dominant, legitimate forms of the field?s theorizing. We identify and review institutional barriers that curb the development of innovative theory. In conclusion, we offer guidelines for how the field and its stakeholders can productively engage in developing and evaluating innovative theory. Collapse

Topics: pandemic reference discipline mobile application outsourcing online review

Methods: theory development design artifact literature study literature sample

Theories: transaction cost economics information systems theory

Understanding the design of information technologies for knowledge management in organizations: a pragmatic perspective

2007 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 27

Authors: Butler, Tom; Murphy, Ciaran

Abstract: Abstract.  Researchers report mixed findings on the successful application of in ... Expand

Abstract: Abstract.  Researchers report mixed findings on the successful application of information technologies (IT) for knowledge management (KM). The primary difficulty is argued to be the use of information management techniques and concepts to design and develop KM Tools. Also problematic is the existence of a multiplicity of KM technologies, the application and use of which differs across organizations. This paper argues that these problems stem, in part, from the information system field’s over-reliance on design concepts from the functionalist paradigm. Hence, our contention that alternative perspectives, which bring into focus issues of ontology and epistemology, need to be brought to bear in order to understand the challenges involved in the design and deployment of IT artefacts in knowledge management systems (KMS). The philosophy of technology, with its emphasis on the primacy of praxis, and which incorporates ontological and epistemological concepts from phenomenology and hermeneutics, is applied to the findings of a participative action research study to illustrate how social actors interpret and understand worldly phenomena and subsequently share their knowledge of the life-world using IT. The outcome of this marriage of situated practical theory and philosophy is a set of design principles to guide the development of a core KM Tool for KMS. Collapse

Topics: systems design knowledge sharing knowledge representation knowledge work knowledge management system

Methods: ontological modelling action research design artifact design principle phenomenological method

The Intellectual Development of Human-Computer Interaction Research: A Critical Assessment of the MIS Literature (1990-2002)

2005 | Journal of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Ping Zhang; Na (Lina) Li

Abstract: As one of the five research streams of the Management In formation Systems (MIS) ... Expand

Abstract: As one of the five research streams of the Management In formation Systems (MIS) discipline, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) was predicted to resurge in the post- millennium era. To date, however, few studies have either synthesized existing studies or drawn an overarching picture of this sub-discipline. This study delineates the intellectual development of HCI research in MIS by a multifaceted assessment of the published HCI articles over a period of 13 years (1990-2002) in seven prime MIS journals: MISQ, ISR, JMIS, Decision Sciences, Management Science, DATA BASE, and JAIS. Twenty-two specific questions are addressed to answer the following five general research questions about the HCI sub-discipline: (1) What constitutes its intellectual substance? (2) What relationships does it have with other disciplines? (3) What are its recent evolutions? (4) What are the patterns of publishing HCI studies in the primary MIS journals? And, (5) Who are its contributing members? We use classification approach to address these questions. Descriptive analyses, including co-occurrence and cross-facet analyses, depict the key relationships. Trend analyses demonstrate recent evolutions. We present a number of areas for future research, along with a discussion of potential future directions for the sub-discipline. This study should be of interest to researchers in this sub-discipline, in the MIS discipline, and in other related disciplines for future research, collaboration, publication, and education. It should also be of interest to doctoral students to identify potential research topics for dissertation research and to identify academic institutions for future employment where such research is understood, appreciated, and encouraged. Collapse

Topics: usability human computer interaction individual characteristic systems development information system use

Methods: literature sample regression analysis method survey field study laboratory experiment

The concept of contingency beyond “It depends”: illustrations from IS research stream

2003 | Information & Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Umanath, Narayan S.

Abstract: With the advent of the widely heralded “new economy”, organizations are undergoi ... Expand

Abstract: With the advent of the widely heralded “new economy”, organizations are undergoing profound changes. Interestingly, information systems/information technology (IS/IT) has emerged as the vehicle for launching new organizational forms so that market forces can be effectively managed to yield favorable business solutions. A critical issue for managers to tackle in this environment is the core idea of fit among organizational domains in order to optimize performance. The role of academics in this endeavor is to clarify the notion of fit conceptually as well as methodologically. This paper synthesizes alternative concepts of fit starting from congruence and contingency, and attempts to clarify the enduring concept of contingency beyond the common sense notion of “It depends”. Then it demonstrates the enriching value of the principles advocated in this paper by incorporating these principles in a selected set of prior empirical work in IS. Finally, a methodological enhancement to contingency analysis is proposed—an alternate solution to the systems approach to fit. Collapse

Topics: organizational context IS maturity IS success user satisfaction task interdependence

Methods: correlation analysis multiple regression path analysis