Writing My next Design Science Research Master-piece: But How Do I Make a Theoretical Contribution to DSR?
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Design science research is a valid research methodology today in IS. Its goal is to solve wicked problems and show that IT artifacts created to solve the problem has efficacy and utility. However developing design theories or making theoretical contributions (theory as artifact) is still a challenge. This thoughtful essay is meant to provide deep insights into the interplay between theory and design and provides some answers into two big questions: 1) where should we theorize in DSR and 2) how do we holistically approach theory development in the sciences of the artificial.Keywords:
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Mainly, due to new scientific inquiries and technological advancements Knowledge becomes obsolete. So it creates a dilemma where the applicability of so called theories and models which we learnt in class can still be applied to solve problems? Thus, the scholars bring the notion of RESEARCH as a definite solution which enriches the existing understanding of a phenomenon. This can be either a theory testing or a theory extension (theory building) approach. In fact, gap identification and formulating a research problem are vital for a research project. The note details two approaches to identify research gap and thereby to formulate a research problem.
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Design science research (DSR) has staked its rightful ground as an important and legitimate Information Systems (IS) research paradigm. We contend that DSR has yet to attain its full potential impact on the development and use of information systems due
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Purpose The purpose is to reflect on writing a PhD proposal. Design/methodology/approach The paper is a poem based on the author's experience. Findings This is meditation on how the topic, theory and method for a research project all need to be fine‐tuned, so they are in balance. Research limitations/implications The paper stimulates thought about what drives a research project, and that various adaptations are required, so the topic theory, and method are woven together in harmony. Originality/value The paper provides an insight into the preparation of a research proposal, and highlights that it is not a linear process, driven only by the topic.
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In recent years, design research has been the object of growing attention in universities and academies throughout the world. The present article addresses the heterogeneous character of design research and the current need for reflection on the various approaches and interests. For this purpose, the paper follows two steps. First, it proposes a categorization of the field in the form of a position model. The article's underlying assumption is that design research as a discipline exists in many different forms that cannot necessarily be brought together under one common academic research tradition; instead it is necessary to attempt to define the field in order to initiate discussions about what constitutes the various research bases for design. Second, the article discusses the implication for future design research when it is an interdisciplinary field that involves many disciplines, mindsets and methodological practices.
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Two paradigms characterize much of the research in the Information Systems discipline: behavioral science and design science. The behavioral-science paradigm seeks to develop and verify theories that explain or predict human or organizational behavior. The design-science paradigm seeks to extend the boundaries of human and organizational capabilities by creating new and innovative artifacts. Both paradigms are foundational to the IS discipline, positioned as it is at the confluence of people, organizations, and technology. Our objective is to describe the performance of design-science research in Information Systems via a concise conceptual framework and clear guidelines for understanding, executing, and evaluating the research. In the design-science paradigm, knowledge and understanding of a problem domain and its solution are achieved in the building and application of the designed artifact. Three recent exemplars in the research literature are used to demonstrate the application of these guidelines. We conclude with an analysis of the challenges of performing high-quality design-science research in the context of the broader IS community.
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Consolidating existing knowledge in Design Science, this book proposes a new research method to aid the exploration of design and problem solving within business, science and technology. It seeks to overcome a dichotomy that exists in the field between theory and practice to enable researches to find solutions to problems, rather than focusing on the explanation and exploration of the problems themselves. Currently, researches concentrate on to describing, exploring, explaining and predicting phenomena, and little attention is devoted to prescribing solutions. Herbert Simon proposes the need to develop a Science of the Artificial (Design Science), arguing that our reality is much more artificial than natural. However, the research conducted on the Design Science premises has so far been scattered and erratic in different fields of research, such as management, systems information and engineering. This book aims to address this issue by bringing these fields together and emphasising the need for solutions. This book provides a valuable resource to students and researchers of research methods, information systems, management and management science, and production and operations management.
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In order to promote more rigor in Design Science Research (DSR), Gregor and Hevner have proposed guidelines for conducting and evaluating DSR in the Information Systems (IS) discipline. Their work has been influential and widely used to advance the field. However, the way they characterize IS-DSR knowledge contributions excludes what we believe are genuine contributions and includes works that in our lights are not contributing to IS-DSR knowledge. To overcome this problem, we borrow from the contemporary philosophy of science to develop a framework for identifying the types of IS-DSR knowledge. We posit that contributions to DSR are in the form of theories or technological designs, and each type could be either inter-field or field. We demonstrate the strength of the proposed framework in better identifying contributions and clarifying the boundaries of IS-DSR. Our experience led us to believe that the proposed view is applicable to the whole IS discipline.
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Introduction This paper reports on a research project that has been running at the Eindhoven University of Technology. First at the department of Philosophy (within the Faculty of Management and Innovation Sciences) and later at the Designed Intelligence research group at the Faculty of Industrial Design. The paper will set out, briefly, by discussing the original starting points of the project (section 2), and it will go on to describe the core steps in the intellectual journey that the project has turned into. The subject of study was the structure of design problems, and the philosophical notion of ‘underdetermination’ has taken as a possible fruitful concept to make some inroads into this huge and uncharted territory. The project was, naturally, started with the studying of relevant literature and the making of an inventory of our knowledge on design problems (as ill-structured problems, as underdetermined problems) and of the way in which the design methodology has dealt with design problems, in the broader context, of the modeling of design processes (section 3). This has not turned out to be a very fruitful approach to the issue of design problems. Therefore, an interest was developed in some other theories on how designers deal with their problems, specifically focusing on describing design problems as situated problems (section 4). The inherent subjectivity of design situations has lead to a study in how we could capture and describe the way a designer builds up a view of the situation, and responds to this situation. A fairly coarse, but interesting approach to characterizing and describing the way designers build- up a view on a design situation was found in the work of Dreyfus, where he models the levels of expertise in which a designer operates (section 5). In the last section we will summarize our conclusions on the study of design problems, reflecting on the role that philosophical investigations can play in Design Methodology, and sketch proposals for further research into design problems and design expertise (section 6).
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Design science research strives to be practical and relevant. Yet few researchers have examined the extent to which practitioners can meaningfully utilize theoretical knowledge produced by design science research in solving concrete real-world problems. Are design theories developed by scientists readily amenable to application by practitioners? Does the application of a theory by practitioners always lead to the outcomes predicted (by the scientists)? We examine a particularly difficult challenge—ensuring that the development and deployment of an IT artifact by practitioners based on a design theory result in appropriate changes in the environment predicted by the design theory. As we show in our paper, a gulf exists between theoretical propositions and concrete issues faced in practice—a challenge we refer to as design theory indeterminacy. Design theory indeterminacy might result in considerable ambiguity when implementing a design theory in practice and reduce the potential relevance of information systems knowledge. In this paper, we articulate the problem of design theory indeterminacy, examine factors that contribute to it, and suggest fruitful directions for future research to help reduce it.
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