The Importance of Context: An Action Research Perspective

Schedule and location

Monday April 24th - Tuesday April 25th

Aalto University BIZ (Runeberginkatu 14-16, Helsinki), main building, room A-304.

Registration

Registration is open February 10th - April 12th .

Speakers

Prof. Robert M. Davison, City University of Hong Kong

Organizer

Professor Virpi Tuunainen, Aalto University School of Business, Finland.

Overview

In this workshop, I will explore two related themes: ‘context in research’ and ‘action research’. My standpoint is that of both an active researcher and a journal editor. The workshop will start with an overview of context in IS research – why it is important and how it can be embedded into research designs that can lead to publishable IS research. I also hope to stimulate the workshop participants into making their own reflections on context, so some of the time will be reserved for participant contributions, where they draw on their own research experiences. Action Research will be offered as a specific methodology that is particularly suitable for context-centric research. A tutorial on the principles and guidelines that underpin AR will be offered, with a particular focus on contextual details. The tutorial will include some reflections on the barriers to AR and how they can be overcome. I will then present an ongoing AR project in order to illustrate how and why the contextual details are important to appreciating the impact and relevance of the AR study beyond the immediate context.

Some parts of the workshop wil be based on the following articles, but new and unpublished material will also be presented.

Davison, R.M., Martinsons, M.G. and Ou, C.X.J. (2012) The Roles of Theory in Canonical Action Research, Management Information Systems Quarterly, 36, 3, 763-786.

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

Davison, R.M. and Martinsons, M.G. (2016) Context is King! Considering Particularism in Research Design and Reporting, Journal of Information Technology, 31, 3, 241-249.

Davison, R.M. (2014) Editorial (Context in IS Research), Information Systems Journal, 24, 3, 203-205.

Davison, R.M. (2016) Editorial – The Art of Storytelling, Information Systems Journal, 26, 3, 191-194.

Davison, R.M. and Martinsons, M.G. (2007) Action Research and Consulting: Hellish Partnership or Heavenly Marriage?, in Kock, N.F. (Ed.) Information Systems Action Research: An Applied View of Emerging Concepts and Methods, Springer, Chapter 16, 377-394.

Detailed Program

Agenda for Day 1

1000-1015	Introduction to the Speaker and the Workshop	Robert
1015-1115	The Nature of Context in IS research I	Robert
1115-1130	Break
1130-1230	The Nature of Context in IS Research II	Robert
1230-1315	Reflections and Discussion about Context	All
1315-1415	Lunch
1415-1530	Canonical Action Research I (Introduction, History, In IS, 15 Variants, Principles/Criteria)	Robert
1530-1545	Break
1545-1645	Canonical Action Research II (AR & Theory; Barriers to AR; Fedex Case)
1645-1730	Reflections and Discussion about Action Research – Research Initiation	All

Agenda for Day 2

0900-0915	Recapitulation of Day 1 – Context and Action Research	Robert
0915-1030	Presentation of Research Plans by Groups – with critical commentary	All
1030-1045	Break
1045-1130	Journal Editors’ Expectations for Action Research	Robert
1130-1200	Closing Session; Final Reflections on Context and Action Research	Robert
1200-1300	Lunch
1300-	1-1 focused discussion sessions	Robert

Credit points

Doctoral students participating in the seminar can obtain 2 credit points. This requires participating on all of the days and completing the assignment.

Readings