Ac tion r e se ar c h vs. De sign r e se ar c h: Using Pr ac - - PDF document

2013-06-10 1

Ac tion r e se ar c h vs. De sign r e se ar c h: Using Pr ac tic e r e se ar c h as a le ns for c ompar ison and inte gr ation

Göran Goldkuhl Research group VITS

• Dep. of Management & Engineering

Linköping University Sweden

Bac kgr

• und

■ Action research



Since long an established research approach in IS

■ Design research



A growing interest in IS

■ Many scholars have identified similarities between AR and DR



Some have identified important differences

■ There exist several comparisons and also attempts for integration ■ Different views and controversies



A need for more to say!

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Pur pose

■ To contribute to further investigation of similarities and differences between AR and DR ■ A new angle in comparing AR and DR: Use of the Practice research approach as lens and common yardstick for analysis and comparison ■ A proposal for an integrated approach of AR, DR and PR: Practice research through Intervention and Design ■ The rationale for this study is that IS scholars need guidance in choosing between AR and DR and also possible combinations of them

What’s in the pape r ?

■ Description of the practice research approach ■ Review of AR – DR comparisons ■ Review of AR – DR integrations ■ Study of AR from a PR perspective ■ Study of DR from a PR perspective ■ A PR based comparison of AR and DR ■ A PR based integration of AR and DR ■ Conclusions



PR, AR, DR relations



AR



DR



PR

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T he anatomy of Pr ac tic e R e se ar c h

Theorizing (R) Local

• perational

practice (P) Situational inquiry (P & R) Research community (OR) General practice (OP) Practice research

LPC GPC ΔSBK

Impor tant tr aits of Pr ac tic e R e se ar c h

■ The contribution to general practice with abstract useful knowledge ■ …through the conduct of situational inquiries into local practices



Investigating problematic situations and giving local practice contributions

■ A continual interplay between theorizing and situational inquiry ■ An encompassing approach covering



Action research



Design research



Evaluation research

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Pr ac tic e r e se ar c h de sc r ibe d in

■ Goldkuhl G (2008) Practical inquiry as action research and beyond, Proceedings ECIS-2008 ■ Goldkuhl G (2011) The research practice of practice research: theorizing and situational inquiry, Systems, Signs & Actions ■ Goldkuhl G (2012) From action research to practice research, Australasian Journal of Information Systems

ACTION PLANNING Considering alternative courses of action for solving a problem Development

• f client-

system infrastructure SPECIFYING LEARNING Identifying general findings EVALUATING Studying consequences

• f an action

ACTION TAKING Selecting a course of action DIAGNOSIS Identifying or defining a problem

Ac tion r e se ar c h

The cyclical process of Canonical Action Research (from Susman & Evered, 1978)

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Ac tion r e se ar c h fr

• m a pr

ac tic e r e se ar c h vie w

Target practices/communities AR outcomes Research community Additions to scientific body of knowledge General practice Not specified Local operational practice Intervention (=LPC) PR activities AR activities Theorizing Specifying learning as abstraction Situational inquiry Diagnosis, action planning, action taking, evaluation; specifying learning as local learning.

Ac tion r e se ar c h fr

• m a pr

ac tic e r e se ar c h vie w

■ Adaptation and dissemination of knowledge to general practice is not explicitly recognized in AR ■ The AR process has a main focus on “problem solving & change” (situational inquiry)



theorizing is down-played

■ Theorizing activities in AR are seen as taking place after problem solving



not as a continual interplay with or support to a situational inquiry

■ AR intervention can be of diverse kinds following the four problem solving stages



diagnosis intervention, design intervention, implementation intervention and evaluation intervention

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Hevner et al (2004) March & Smith (1995) Peffers et al (2007)

De sign r e se ar c h fr

• m a pr

ac tic e r e se ar c h vie w

PR activities DR activities Theorizing Theorize, justify (disputable if part of DR) Situational inquiry Design practice: Build and evaluate PR activities DR activities Theorizing Abstract, generalize, theorize Situational inquiry Design practice: Problem analyse, build (including demonstrate) and evaluate Target practices/communities DR outcomes Research community Abstract design knowledge (constructs, methods, design theory) General practice Abstract design knowledge (constructs, methods, design theory) Local operational practice Situational artefacts (models, systems)

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De sign r e se ar c h fr

• m a pr

ac tic e r e se ar c h vie w

■ The notions of local practice and general practice are not explicitly acknowledged, although this distinction can be traced implicitly ■ There is no clear differentiation of artefacts as situational

• r abstract, but it possible to classify the artefacts into

these two categories



Models and systems (instantiations) can be seen as situational artefacts and constructs and methods as abstract artefacts

■ The main focus in DR is on the design process. The role

• f theorizing is unclear in DR



some scholars down-play it, others emphasize it

■ Design practice (of DR) should be seen as a kind of design oriented situational inquiry



Different DR models have differing scope and content of the design practice

AR vs DR as Situational inquir y (1)

Diagnosis Action planning Action taking Evaluation Problem analysis Building (including demonstration ) Evaluation Action research Design research Local learning

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Making AR c ompar able

Action taking Evaluation Diagnosis Action planning Technical preparation Evaluation Action research Practice re-arranging Local learning

Making DR c ompar able

Problem analysis Building (including demonstration ) Evaluation Design research Diagnosis Design- modelling Prototyping Construction Proposing Demonstration Lo-fi prototyping (iconic models ) Hi-fi prototyping (enactive models ) Design- modelling (symbolic models )

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AR vs DR as Situational inquir y (2)

Diagnosis Action planning Technical preparation Evaluation Diagnosis Evaluation Action research Design research Construction Practice re-arranging Proposing Demonstration

Inte gr ating AR vs DR

Diagnosis Action planning Technical preparation Evaluation Diagnosis Evaluation Action research Design research Construction Practice re-arranging Proposing Demonstration Diagnosis Proposing Demonstration Evaluation Practice research Construction Practice re-arranging

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Conc lusions: PR , AR , DR

• ve r

laps

■ If AR is conducted with no orientation towards general practice, then this should not be seen as practice research ■ If DR is conducted (as in a computer science manner) with no reference to any local practice, then this cannot be considered to be practice research

Action research Design research Practice research ~GP ~LP PR-ID