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Socio-technical IS design science research: developing design theory for IS integration management

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Abstract

Design science research is an essential part of IS research since the field should not only try to understand how the world is, but also how to change it. We argue that the aim of IS design science research should be to develop practical knowledge not only for the design of novel information technology (IT), but also for IS governance and management. Whereas at least some methodological support exists for researchers engaged in IT-centric design science research, limited support is available for researchers who want to develop design knowledge and theory for IS governance and management. To overcome this shortcoming, we suggest a socio-technical IS design science research approach. The approach has four main activities: (1) identifying problem situations and desired outcomes, (2) reviewing extant theories, knowledge and data, (3) proposing/refining design theory and knowledge, and (4) testing design theory and knowledge. The applicability and usefulness of the proposed approach is shown by means of a design science research project concerning IS integration management in the context of mergers and acquisitions.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express their thanks to Shirley Gregor, the anonymous reviewers of ISeBM, and to language reviewer Carol-Ann Soames, Jönköping International Business School, for valuable comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Informatics and Institute of Economic Research, School of Economics and Management, Lund University, Ole Römers väg 6, 223 63, Lund, Sweden

    Sven A. Carlsson

  2. Center for Applied ICT, Copenhagen Business School, Howitzvej 60, 2000, Fredriksberg, Denmark

    Stefan Henningsson

  3. KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Uppsala University, Box 513, 751 20, Uppsala, Sweden

    Stefan Hrastinski

  4. Uppsala University and Jönköping International Business School, Box 1026, 551 11, Jönköping, Sweden

    Christina Keller

Authors
  1. Sven A. Carlsson
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  2. Stefan Henningsson
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  3. Stefan Hrastinski
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  4. Christina Keller
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sven A. Carlsson.

Additional information

S. A. Carlsson, S. Henningsson, S. Hrastinski, and C. Keller have equally contributed to this work.

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Carlsson, S.A., Henningsson, S., Hrastinski, S. et al. Socio-technical IS design science research: developing design theory for IS integration management. Inf Syst E-Bus Manage 9, 109–131 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-010-0140-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-010-0140-6

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