Transcript ERIM Presentatie

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So What?
Discussion of Some Information
Management Research Articles
Prof. Dr Ir Eric van Heck
FGV PhD Seminar
Sao Paulo, October 22/24, 2007
[email protected]
www.rsm.nl/evanheck
Copyright © E. van Heck, 2007
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Eric van Heck
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Professor at RSM Erasmus University
ERIM Director of Doctoral Education
Research:
– 1. The Marketplace of the Future
– 2. Smart Business Networks
Teaching:
– 1. Executive MBA and Full-time MBA
– 2. MScBA Business Information Management
Consulting and Writing
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Programme
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Monday 22 Oct, 2007
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So What – part 1: about theory, theoretical
contributions, and conceptualization
Wednesday 24 Oct, 2007
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So What – part 2: about research
approaches and to come up with rigorous
and relevant research
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Hiking to the PhD top: about managing
YOUR PhD project
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Questions and Objective
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What is so typical and difficult about
information management research?
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What constitute theoretical contributions in
information management?
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What can we learn from the best articles in
information management for each of the
research methods?
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Objective: Evaluate your research proposal and
improve your answer of the question: So What?
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ISM research is difficult
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Information Technology (IT) is dynamic
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Information and information systems (IS) are context
specific
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Information system – means by which people and
organizations, utilizing technology, gather, process,
store, use and disseminate information – integral part of
organizations – how to isolate?
Field is dominated by prescriptive models (you have to
do this?), and not by descriptive models (under these
conditions this happened)
Young but interesting field of science – ability to define
the right problems – not always answer them in the right
way
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Question 1
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What is the IT or IS component in your research
object?
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Can you isolate?
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Can you generalize?
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What Constitutes a Theoretical
Contribution (Whetten, 1989)
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What are the building blocks of theory
development?
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What. Which factors (variables, constructs,
concepts) should be considered as part of the
explanation of the phenomena of interest?
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Comprehensiveness: are all relevant factors
included
Parsimony: should some factors be deleted?
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Bacharach, 1989
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How. How are they related? This step
introduces causality.
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Why. What are the underlying dynamics that
justify the selection of factors and the
proposed causal relationships?
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What and How describe; only Why explains.
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Description and explanation.
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Who.Where.When. These conditions place
limitations on the propositions generated from
a theoretical model
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Boundaries of generalizability
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Would your predictions hold with other IT, in
other countries, with other types of
organizations?
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Also will be discovered through subsequent
tests
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What is a value-added contribution to theory
development?
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Proposed improvements addressing only a
single element of an existing theory are
seldom sufficient
Provide compelling evidence (logical,
empirical, epistemological (its assumptions
are invalid))
Propose remedies or alternatives
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Questions 2
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What are your building blocks in terms of what,
how, and why?
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Why?
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Why not?
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Organizational Theories: Some Criteria
for Evaluation (Bacharach, 1989)
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Theory: statement of relations between units
observed or approximated in the empirical
world.
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Approximated units: constructs, which by their
very nature cannot observed directly (for
example: IS strategy, centralization, core
competencies)
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Observed units: variables, operationalized
empirically by measurement
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Bacharach, 1989
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Criteria for the Evaluation of Theories
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Falsifiability
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Is empirical refutation possible?
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Theories can never be proven, only
disproven see also Popper
Utility
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Is theory useful? Can it both explain and
predict?
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Criteria for Evaluating Theories
(Bacharach, 1989)
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Questions 3
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What is your main proposition/hypothesis?
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How would you deal with
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Falsifiability?
Utility?
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Conclusions
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No matter how the data are collected,
researchers have the obligation to present
them in an way that allows other scholars a fair
chance at using and or disproving the data.
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If it is not testable, it is not a theory.
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Consultants assist their clients in both
diminishing the complexity of the empirical
world on the basis of explanations and
predictions. The goal of theory is to diminish
the complexity of the empirical world on the
basis of explanations and predictions.
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What Theory is Not
(Sutton & Staw, 1995)
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Parts of an Article that are Not Theory
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References are Not Theory
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Data are Not Theory
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E-markets will lead to lower prices (X, 1988, Y, 1992, Z, 2001)
No logic is presented to explain why.
Data describe which empirical patterns were observed;
theory explains why
Lists or Variables or Constructs are Not Theory
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Most research deals with: And the winning variable is?
However the key issue is why a particular set of variables
are expected to be strong predictors.
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Diagrams are Not Theory
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Hypotheses (or Predictions) are Not Theory
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They rarely explain why the proposed
connections will be observed
Hypotheses are concise statements about
what is expected to occur, not why it is
expected to occur.
Balance theoretical and empirical sides of
research.
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The Nature of Theory
in Information Systems
(Shirley Gregor, MISQ, Sept. 2006)
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Questions 4
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What type of theory would you like to come up
with?
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Why?
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IT and Organizational Change: Causal
Structure in Theory and Research
(Markus & Robey, 1988)
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Why and how IT affects organizational life?
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Substance versus structure of theory
– Example of substance: Article George Huber
(1990)
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Causal structure of theoretical models:
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Causal agency; belief of the nature of
causality
Logical structure; time span of theory and
variance versus process theory
Level of analysis; macro versus micro
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Dimensions of Causal Structure
(Markus & Robey, 1988)
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Implications
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Technological imperative: It is responsible for
“impacts” – slowing/accelerating IT adoption
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Organizational imperative: attribute the
consequences of IT to the choices and
behaviors of managers and system designers –
improving design and implementation
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Emergent perspective: attribute outcomes to
unpredictable interaction of technological
features and actors’ intentions – either
outcomes are indeterminate or ‘emancipatory”
strategies
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Questions 5
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What is the causal agency of your
theory/concept?
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Why?
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b
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Variance versus process theory
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Variance theory
For example, if the use of IT is necessary and
sufficient for organization centralization, then
increased use of IT should lead to greater
centralization, see for example contingency
theory of MIS (Weill & Olson, 1989).
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Process theory
For example, if a process specifies that certain
conditions are sufficient to cause user
resistance, it does not follow that more of these
conditions will more resistance.
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Questions 6
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What is the logical structure of your
theory/concept?
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Why?
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Conclusions
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“When assumptions about causal agency,
logical structure, and levels of analysis are
addressed explicitly, subsequent decisions
about research strategy and technique will be
better informed”
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Exploring Information Systems
Research Approaches
(Galliers, Markus, Newell, 2007)
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Strengths and
weaknesses for each of
te approaches
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Taxonomy for likely
suitability for each
approach
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Application of the
taxonomy
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Taxonomy
(Galliers, Markus, Newell, 2007)
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Application of taxonomy 1
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Case study/action research
v
Research question
v
Theory building
v
Theory testing
<<<<<
(laboratory experiments)
^
v
^
Theory testing
^
(field experiments)
^
v
^
Theory extension
>>>>>
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Application of taxonomy 2
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Research question
v
Survey research
v
Theory building
v
Case study/action research <<<<<
v
^
Theory testing
^
(field experiments)
^
v
^
Theory extension
>>>>>
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Questions 7
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What is the objective of your research: theory
building, theory testing, theory extension?
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Why?
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Questions 8
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What is the sequence of research approaches
you will use?
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Why?
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A Scientific Methodology for MIS Case
Studies (Lee, 1989)
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Methodological Problems Raised by the study
of a Single Case
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How to make controlled observations?
How to make controlled deductions?
How to allow for replicability?
How to allow for generalizability
One of Examples is: Power, Politics, and MIS
Implementation (Markus, 1983)
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Multiple Case Study
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Reengineering Dutch Flower Auctions
(Kambil & Van Heck, 1998)
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Cross-case analysis
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Theory building: development of testable
propositions
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History of this Paper
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May 1992 : Kambil introduced in the Dutch flower industry by
van Heck
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June 1994: First version working paper at New York University
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October 1994: Second version working paper – comments by
Hank Lucas and Ted Stohr
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April 1995: Third version send to ISR
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Summer 1996: Associate editor and reviewers assigned.
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December 1996: Reviews received.
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March 1997: Fourth version send to ISR
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September 1997: Accepted by ISR
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March 1998: Published by ISR
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The structure of the paper
The Ten Process Categories
Informationprocessing
models
Agent theory
Transaction
costs theory
Social
exchange
theory
Kambil & Van Heck (1998)
"Common language
and categorization
of key processes
in trading systems"
Generizable Model of
Exchange Processes
Cross-case
Analysis
Testable propositions
• Separation of physical
and information
processes
• Responses of
stakeholders to changes
in available information
due to IT initiatives.
Process-Stakeholder
Analysis Framework
"For comparing
across different
structures"
Cases illustrate:
1. Institutional and
incentive constraints
2. Complexities
encountered in the
introduction of new
electronic markets.
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A model of Exchange Processes
Coase 1960, Dahlman 1979
• Traditional process
classifications of exchange
include:
• search
• bargaining and
negotiation
• monitoring
• enforcement.
Kambil & van Heck (1998)
• Five trade processes
1.
2.
3.
4.
•
Kambil (1992)
• Ten distinct processes that
can operate in an exchange
relation.
• Basic trade processes exist
within a wider context of
support processes that
implement dispute
resolution, and other
mechanisms to ensure that
counterparties to trades will
meet their obligations.
Kambil & Van Heck (1998)
search
valuation
logistics
payments and
settlements
5. authentication
"Distinct processes required in
all transctions of goods and
services."
• Five trade context
processes
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1. communications and
computing
2. product representation
3. legitimation
4. influence
5. dispute resolution
"Facilitate and enable, or
reduce the costs of or 'frictions'
in the basic processes."
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A model of Exchange Processes
trade context
processes
product
representation
legitimation
influence
dispute
resolution
communications & computing
search
valuation
logistics
payment &
settlements
authentication
basic trade
processes
Kambil & Van Heck (1998)
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Survey Instruments
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Example: Assessing the Validity of IS Success
Models: An Empirical Test and Theoretical
Analysis (Rai, Lang, Welker, 2002)
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More info: Survey Instruments in Information
Systems (Newsted, Huff, Munro, 1998)
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www.ucalgary.ca/~newsted/surveys.html
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www.misq.org/discovery/
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www.isworld.org
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Interpretive Studies
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Example: A Set of Principles for Conducting
and Evaluating Interpretive Field Studies in
Information Systems (Klein & Myers, 1999)
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Set of principles
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Three examples
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Combining IS Research Methods
(Mingers, 2001)
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Research results will be richer and more
reliable if different research methods are
combined together.
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Multimethods can deal with the full richness
of the real world
Research is a process, and some methods
are more useful in some phases than in
others
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Empirical Research in Information
Systems: The Practice of Relevance
(Benbasat & Zmud, 1999)
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“Rigor and Relevance” debate in MISQ
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Most academic IS research lacks relevance to
practice
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Why?
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Why Much IS Research Lacks Relevance
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Emphasis on Rigor over Relevance
– Tenure track related to Rigor
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Lack of Cumulative Tradition
– Reluctant to value other concepts – rather invent than
adopt
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Dynamism Of IT
– Looking for stable rocks
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Limited Exposure to Relevant Contexts
– Researcher are laggards with regard to newest IT
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Institutional and Political Factors
– Internal financed university research
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Suggestions for Increasing
Relevance
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For Authors : Topic Selection
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: Article’s Purpose
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: Article’s Readability
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For Journals: Reviewing Processes
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Consumable Academic Research
Robey & Markus (1998)
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Question 9
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How to make your research proposal more
relevant?
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Conclusions
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What is so typical and difficult about information
management research?
–
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What constitute theoretical contributions in information
management?
–
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IT/IS is complex, dynamic and difficult to isolate.
Substance and structure of theory are important; different
criteria are discussed.
What can we learn from the best articles in information
management for each of the research methods?
– Different research methods with
strengths/weaknesses are discussed; multi-method
approach is advised; balancing act between rigor and
relevance.