article

Action design research

Authors:

Ola Henfridsson,

Rikard LindgrenAuthors Info & Claims

MIS Quarterly, Volume 35, Issue 1

Pages 37 - 56

Published: 01 March 2011 Publication History

Abstract

Design research (DR) positions information technology artifacts at the core of the Information Systems discipline. However, dominant DR thinking takes a technological view of the IT artifact, paying scant attention to its shaping by the organizational context. Consequently, existing DR methods focus on building the artifact and relegate evaluation to a subsequent and separate phase. They value technological rigor at the cost of organizational relevance, and fail to recognize that the artifact emerges from interaction with the organizational context even when its initial design is guided by the researchers' intent.

We propose action design research (ADR) as a new DR method to address this problem. ADR reflects the premise that IT artifacts are ensembles shaped by the organizational context during development and use. The method conceptualizes the research process as containing the inseparable and inherently interwoven activities of building the IT artifact, intervening in the organization, and evaluating it concurrently. The essay describes the stages of ADR and associated principles that encapsulate its underlying beliefs and values. We illustrate ADR through a case of competence management at Volvo IT.

References

[1]

Alavi, M., and Leidner, D. E. 2001. "Knowledge Management and Knowledge Management Systems: Conceptual Foundations and Research Issues," MIS Quarterly (25:1), pp. 107-136.

Digital Library

[2]

Andreu, R., and Ciborra, C. 1996. "Organizational Learning and Core Capabilities Development: the Role of IT," Journal of Strategic Information Systems (5:1), pp. 111-127.

[3]

Baburoglu, O. N., and Ravn, I. 1992. "Normative Action Research," Organization Studies (13:1), pp. 19-34.

[4]

Baladi, P. 1999. "Knowledge and Competence Management: Ericsson Business Consulting," Business Strategy Review (10:4), pp. 20-28.

[5]

Baskerville, R. L., and Wood-Harper, A. T. 1998. "Diversity in Information Systems Action Research Methods," European Journal of Information Systems (7:2), pp. 90-107.

[6]

Benbasat, I., and Zmud, R. W. 1999. "Empirical Research in Information Systems: The Practice of Relevance," MIS Quarterly (23:1), pp. 3-16.

Digital Library

[7]

Benbasat, I., and Zmud, R. W. 2003. "The Identity Crisis Within the IS Discipline: Defining and Communicating the Discipline's Core Properties," MIS Quarterly (27:2), pp. 183-194.

Digital Library

[8]

Berndt, D., Hevner, A., and Studnicki, J. 2003. "The CATCH Data Warehouse: Support for Community Health Care Decision Making," Decision Support Systems, (35:3), pp. 367-384.

Digital Library

[9]

Cole, R., Purao, S., Rossi, M., and Sein, M. K. 2005. "Being Proactive: Where Action Research Meets Design Research," in Proceedings of 24th International Conference on Information Systems, D. Avison, D. Galletta, and J. I. DeGross (eds.), Las Vegas, NV, December 11-14, pp. 325-336.

[10]

Cooper, R. G., Edgett, S. J., and Kleinschmidt, E. J. 2002. "Optimizing the Stage-Gate Process: What Best Practice Companies are Doing-Part Two," Research Technology Management (45:5), pp. 21-27.

[11]

Dasgupta, S. 1996. Technology and Creativity, New York: Oxford University Press.

[12]

Davenport, T. H., and Prusak, L. 1998. Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What They Know, Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Digital Library

[13]

Davison, R. M., Martinsons, M. G., and Kock, N. 2004. "Principles of Canonical Action Research," Information Systems Journal (14:1), pp. 65-86.

[14]

de Figueiredo, A., and de Cunha, P. 2007. "Action Research and Design in Information Systems: Two Faces of a Single Coin," in Information Systems Action Research: An Applied View of Emerging Concepts and Methods, N. Kock (ed.), New York: Springer, pp. 61-96.

[15]

DeGrace, P., and Stahl, L. H. 1990. Wicked Problems, Righteous Solutions, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

[16]

Dennis, A. R. 2001. "Relevance in Information Systems Research," Communications of the Association for Information Systems (6), pp. 40-42.

[17]

Gallupe, R. B. 2007. "The Tyranny of Methodologies in Information Systems Research," SIGMIS Database (38:3), pp. 20-28.

Digital Library

[18]

Garud, R., Jain, S., and Tuertscher, P. 2008. "Incomplete by Design and Designing for Incompleteness," Organization Studies (29:3), pp. 351-371.

[19]

Gregor, S. 2006. "The Nature of Theory in Information Systems," MIS Quarterly (30:3), pp. 611-642.

Digital Library

[20]

Gregor, S., and Iivari, J. 2007. "Designing for Mutability in Information Systems Artifacts" in Information Systems Foundations: Theory, Representation and Reality, D. Hart and S. Gregor (eds.), Canberra: ANU Press, pp. 13-24.

[21]

Gregor, S., and Jones, D. 2007. "The Anatomy of a Design Theory," Journal of Association for Information Systems (8:5), pp. 312-335.

[22]

Grohowski, R., McGoff, C., Vogel, D., Martz, B., and Nunamaker, J. 1990. "Implementing Electronic Meeting Systems at IBM: Lessons Learned and Success Factors," MIS Quarterly, (14:4), pp. 368-383.

[23]

Hanseth, O., and Monteiro, E. 1997. "Inscribing Behavior in Information Infrastructure Standards," Accounting, Management & Information Technologies (7:4), pp. 183-211.

[24]

Hevner, A. 2007. "A Three Cycle View of Design Science Research," Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems (19:2), pp. 87-92.

[25]

Hevner, A. R., March, S. T., Park, J., and Ram, S. 2004. "Design Science in Information Systems Research," MIS Quarterly (28:1), pp. 75-105.

Digital Library

[26]

Hustad, E., and Munkvold, B. E. 2005. "IT-Supported Competence Management: A Case Study at Ericsson," Information Systems Management (22:2), pp. 78-88.

[27]

Iivari, J. 2003. "The IS Core - VII: Towards Information Systems as a Science of Meta-Artifacts," Communications of the Association for Information Systems (12), pp. 568-581.

[28]

Iivari, J. 2007a. "Nothing is as Clear as Unclear: Iivari's Response," Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems (19:2), pp. 111-117.

[29]

Iivari, J. 2007b. "A Paradigmatic Analysis of Information Systems as a Design Science," Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems (19:2), pp. 39-63.

[30]

Iivari, J., and Venable, J. 2009. "Action Research and Design Science Research: Seemingly Similar But Decidedly Dissimilar," in Proceedings of 17th European Conference on Information Systems, Verona, Italy, June 8-10.

[31]

Järvinen, P. 2007. "Action Research is Similar to Design Science," Quality & Quantity (41), pp. 37-54.

[32]

Kock, N., Gray, P., Hoving, R., Klein, H., Myers, M., and Rockart, J. 2002. "IS Relevance Revisited: Subtle Accomplishment, Unfulfilled Promise, or Serial Hypocrisy," Communications of the Association for Information Systems (8), pp. 330-346.

[33]

Lawler, E. E. 1994. "From Job-Based to Competency-Based Organizations," Journal of Organizational Behavior (15:1), pp. 3-15.

[34]

Lawler, E. E, and Ledford, G. 1992. "A Skill-Based Approach to Human Resource Management," European Management Journal (10:4), pp. 383-391.

[35]

Lee, A. 1989. "A Scientific Methodology for MIS Case Studies," MIS Quarterly (13:1), pp. 33-50.

Digital Library

[36]

Lee, A. 1999. "Rigor and Relevance in MIS research: Beyond the Approach of Positivism Alone," MIS Quarterly (23:1), pp. 29-34.

Digital Library

[37]

Lee, A. 2001. "Editorial," MIS Quarterly (25:1), pp. iii-vii.

[38]

Lee, A. 2007. "Action is an Artifact: What Action Research and Design Science Offer to Each Other," in Information Systems Action Research: An Applied View of Emerging Concepts and Methods, N. Kock (ed.), New York: Springer, 2007, pp. 43-60.

[39]

Lee, A., and Baskerville, R. L. 2003. "Generalizing Generalizability in Information Systems Research," Information Systems Research, (14:3), pp. 221-243.

Digital Library

[40]

Lee, J., Wyner, G., and Pentland, B. 2008. "Process Grammar as a Tool for Business Process Design," MIS Quarterly, (32:4), pp. 757-778.

[41]

Lindgren, R., Henfridsson, O., and Schultze, U. 2004. "Design Principles for Competence Management Systems: A Synthesis of an Action Research Study," MIS Quarterly, (28:3), pp. 435-472.

[42]

Loebbecke, C., and Powell, P. 2009. "Furthering Distributed Participative Design: Unlocking the Walled Gardens" Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, (21:1), pp. 77-106.

[43]

March, S. T., and Smith, G. 1995. "Design and Natural Science Research on Information Technologies," Decision Support Systems (15:4), pp. 251-266.

[44]

Markus, M. L. 1983. "Power, Politics, and MIS Implementation," Communications of the ACM (26:6), pp. 430-444.

Digital Library

[45]

Markus, M. L., Majchrzak, A., and Gasser, L. 2002. "A Design Theory for Systems That Support Emergent Knowledge Processes," MIS Quarterly (26:3), pp. 179-212.

[46]

Markus, M. L., and Robey, D. 1988. "Information Technology and Organizational Change: Causal Structure in Theory and Research," Management Science (34:5), pp. 583-598.

Digital Library

[47]

Mathiassen, L. 2002. "Collaborative Practice Research," Information Technology & People (15:4), pp. 321-345.

[48]

Muffatto, M. 1998. "Corporate and Individual Competencies: How do They Match the Innovation Process?," International Journal of Technology Management (15:8), pp. 836-853.

[49]

Mårtensson, P., and Lee, A. S. 2004. "Dialogical Action Research at Omega Corporation," MIS Quarterly (28:3), pp. 507-536.

[50]

Nandhakumar, J., Rossi, M., and Talvinen, J. 2005. "The Dynamics of Contextual Forces of ERP Implementation," Journal of Strategic Information Systems (14:2), pp. 221-242.

[51]

Nunamaker, J. F. 2007. "Traveling the Last Research Mile," Distinguished Lecture at the Symposium on Progress in Interdisciplinary Research in Information Technology, Stillwater, OK.

[52]

Nunamaker, J. F., Chen, M., and Purdin, T. D. M. 1991. "Systems Development in Information Systems Research," Journal of Management Information Systems (7:3), pp. 89-106.

[53]

Orlikowski, W. J. 1996. "Improvising Organizational Transformation Over Time: A Situated Change Perspective," Information Systems Research (7:1), pp. 63-92.

Digital Library

[54]

Orlikowski, W. J. 2000. "Using Technology and Constituting Structures: A Practice Lens for Studying Technology in Organizations," Organization Science (11:4), pp. 404-428.

Digital Library

[55]

Orlikowski, W. J. 2002. "Knowing in Practice: Enacting a Collective Capability in Distributed Organizing," Organization Science (13:3), pp. 249-273.

Digital Library

[56]

Orlikowski, W. J., and Barley, S. R. 2001. "Technology and Institutions: What Can Research on Information Technology and Research on Organizations Learn from Each Other?," MIS Quarterly (25:2), pp. 145-165.

Digital Library

[57]

Orlikowski, W. J., and Iacono, C. S. 2001. "Research Commentary: Desperately Seeking the 'IT' in IT Research--A Call to Theorizing the IT Artifact," Information Systems Research (12:2), pp. 121-134.

[58]

Peffers, K., Tuunanen, T., Rothenberger, M. A., and Chatterjee, S. 2008. "A Design Science Research Methodology for Information Systems Research," Journal of Management Information Systems (24:3), pp. 45-77.

[59]

Pries-Heje, J., and Baskerville, R. 2008. "The Design Theory Nexus," MIS Quarterly (32:4), pp. 731-755.

[60]

Pries-Heje, J., Baskerville, R., and Venable, J. 2007. "Soft Design Science Research: Extending the Boundaries of Evaluation in Design Science Research," in Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Design Science Research in IT (DESRIST), Pasadena, CA, May 13-15, pp. 18-38.

[61]

Purao, S. 2002. "Truth or Dare: Design Research in the Technology of Information Systems," unpublished manuscript, Georgia State University.

[62]

Remenyi, D., and Sherwood-Smith, M. 1999. "Maximize Information Systems Value by Continuous Participative Evaluation," Logistics Information Management, (12:1), pp. 14-31.

[63]

Rosemann, M., and Vessey, I. 2008. "Toward Improving the Relevance of Information Systems Research to Practice: The Role of Applicability Checks," MIS Quarterly (32:1), pp. 1-22.

Digital Library

[64]

Sandberg, J. 2000. "Understanding Human Competence at Work: An Interpretative Approach," Academy of Management Journal (43:1), pp. 9-25.

[65]

Scriven, M. 1996. "Types of Evaluation and Types of Evaluator," Evaluation Practice (17:2), pp. 151-162.

[66]

Sein, M. K., Bostrom, R. P., and Olfman, L. 2003. "Mutual Learning and Informing between Academia and Practice in ISD: A Learning Theory Perspective," Chapter 47 in New Perspective on Information Development: Theory and Practice, G. Harindranath and J. Sillince (eds.), New York: Kluwer/Plenum.

[67]

Sein, M. K., Rossi, M., and Purao, S. R. 2007. "Exploring the Limits to the Possible: A response to Iivari," Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems (19:2), pp. 105-110.

[68]

Susman, G. 1983. "Action Research: A Sociotechnical Perspective," in Beyond Method: Strategies for Social Research, G. Morgan (ed.), Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, pp. 95-113.

[69]

Susman, G., and Evered, R. 1978. "An Assessment of the Scientific Merits of Action Research," Administrative Science Quarterly (23), pp. 582-603.

[70]

Vaishnavi, V., and Kuechler, B. 2007. "Design Research in Information Systems," ISWorld (available at http://home. aisnet.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=279; accessed April 17, 2007).

[71]

Van Aken, J. E. 2004. "Management Research Based on the Paradigm of the Design Sciences: The Quest for Field-Tested and Grounded Technological Rules," Journal of Management Studies (41:2), pp. 219-246.

[72]

Venable, J. 2006. "The Role of Theory and Theorising in Design Science Research," in Proceedings of the First International Conference on Design Science Research in IT (DESRIST), Claremont, CA, February 24-25.

[73]

Vogel, D. 2009. Personal communication.

[74]

Vogel, D., Nunamaker, J., Martz, B., Grohowski, R., and McGoff, C. 1990. "Electronic Meeting System Experience at IBM," Journal of MIS, (6:3), pp. 25-43.

[75]

Walls, J. H., Widmeyer, G. R., and El Sawy, O. A. 1992. "Building an Information Systems Design Theory for Vigilant EIS," Information Systems Research (3:1), pp. 36-59.

Digital Library

Cited By

Gill A(2024)The digital ecosystem information frameworkJournal of Information Science10.1177/0165551522108659350:1(85-88)Online publication date: 1-Feb-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1177/01655515221086593
Ustunboyacioglu IKumara IDi Nucci DTamburri DVan Den Heuvel W(2024)Data Quality Assessment in the Wild: Findings from GitHubProceedings of the 28th International Conference on Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering10.1145/3661167.3661213(120-129)Online publication date: 18-Jun-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3661167.3661213
Angelopoulos SBendoly EFransoo JHoberg KOu CTenhiälä A(2023)Digital transformation in operations managementJournal of Operations Management10.1002/joom.127169:6(876-889)Online publication date: 13-Aug-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1002/joom.1271
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

Action design research

Recommendations

Generating implications for design through design research
CHI '14: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

A central tenet of HCI is that technology should be user-centric, with designs being based around social science findings about users. Nevertheless a repeated but critical challenge in design is translating empirical findings into actionable ideas that ...
Design research & tangible interaction
TEI '07: Proceedings of the 1st international conference on Tangible and embedded interaction

The research on Tangible Interaction (TI) has been inspired by many different disciplines, including psychology, sociology, engineering and human-computer interaction (HCI). Now that the field is getting more mature, in the sense that basic technologies ...
Dialogical action research at omega corporation

In dialogical action research, the scientific researcher does not "speak science" or otherwise attempt to teach scientific theory to the real-world practitioner, but instead attempts to speak the language of the practitioner and accepts him as the ...

Comments

Please enable JavaScript to view thecomments powered by Disqus.

Information & Contributors

Information

Published In

cover image MIS Quarterly

MIS Quarterly Volume 35, Issue 1

March 2011

325 pages

ISSN:0276-7783

Issue’s Table of Contents

Publisher

Society for Information Management and The Management Information Systems Research Center

United States

Publication History

Published: 01 March 2011

Author Tags

Qualifiers

Article

Contributors

Other Metrics

View Article Metrics

Bibliometrics & Citations

Bibliometrics

Article Metrics

114
Total Citations
View Citations
159
Total Downloads

Downloads (Last 12 months)0
Downloads (Last 6 weeks)0

Reflects downloads up to 03 Oct 2024

Other Metrics

View Author Metrics

Citations

Cited By

Gill A(2024)The digital ecosystem information frameworkJournal of Information Science10.1177/0165551522108659350:1(85-88)Online publication date: 1-Feb-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1177/01655515221086593
Ustunboyacioglu IKumara IDi Nucci DTamburri DVan Den Heuvel W(2024)Data Quality Assessment in the Wild: Findings from GitHubProceedings of the 28th International Conference on Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering10.1145/3661167.3661213(120-129)Online publication date: 18-Jun-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3661167.3661213
Angelopoulos SBendoly EFransoo JHoberg KOu CTenhiälä A(2023)Digital transformation in operations managementJournal of Operations Management10.1002/joom.127169:6(876-889)Online publication date: 13-Aug-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1002/joom.1271
Thomas MLi YLee A(2022)Generalizing the Information Systems ArtifactInformation Systems Research10.1287/isre.2022.110633:4(1452-1466)Online publication date: 1-Dec-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1287/isre.2022.1106
Spychiger FTessone CZavolokina LSchwabe G(2022)Incentivizing Data Quality in Blockchain-Based Systems—The Case of the Digital CardossierDistributed Ledger Technologies: Research and Practice10.1145/35382281:1(1-27)Online publication date: 9-Sep-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3538228
Tsai CZdravkovic JSöder F(2022)A method for digital business ecosystem design: situational method engineering in an action research projectSoftware and Systems Modeling (SoSyM)10.1007/s10270-022-01068-z22:2(573-598)Online publication date: 28-Nov-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s10270-022-01068-z
Tavanapour NTheodorakopoulos DBittner E(2020)A Conversational Agent as Facilitator: Guiding Groups Through Collaboration ProcessesLearning and Collaboration Technologies. Human and Technology Ecosystems10.1007/978-3-030-50506-6_9(108-129)Online publication date: 19-Jul-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-030-50506-6_9
Rogiers PViaene SLeysen J(2020)The digital future of internal staffingInternational Journal of Intelligent Systems in Accounting and Finance Management10.1002/isaf.148127:4(182-196)Online publication date: 29-Dec-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1002/isaf.1481
Sarker SChatterjee SXiao XElbanna A(2019)The sociotechnical axis of cohesion for the IS disciplineMIS Quarterly10.25300/MISQ/2019/1374743:3(695-720)Online publication date: 1-Sep-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.25300/MISQ/2019/13747
Horita FRhodes DInocêncio TGonzales G(2019)Building a conceptual architecture and stakeholder map of a system-of-systems for disaster monitoring and early-warningProceedings of the XV Brazilian Symposium on Information Systems10.1145/3330204.3330215(1-8)Online publication date: 20-May-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3330204.3330215
Show More Cited By

View Options

View options

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

View Issue’s Table of Contents