Following the MAP (Methods, Approaches, Perspectives) in Information Systems Research

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Levallet, Nadege; Denford, James S.; Chan, Yolande E.
• 署名单位: University of Guelph; Royal Military College - Canada; Queens University - Canada
• 刊物名称: INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1047-7047
• DOI: 10.1287/isre.2020.0964
• 发表日期: 2021
• 页码: 130-146
• 关键词: mixed-methods research; organizational agility; QUANTITATIVE METHODS; IMPROVISATION; TECHNOLOGY; variance; configurations; governance; GUIDELINES; INNOVATION

摘要

Research questions surrounding phenomena in information systems (IS) are growing more complex and less amenable to simple explanations. Although many encourage the use of multiple research methods, we go further, advocating for leveraging research methods, analytic approaches, and theoretical perspectives (coined MAP) to better examine complex IS phenomena. The use of multi-MAPs benefits from the complementarity between different theoretical perspectives, that is, variance, process and systems perspectives, and the various analytic approaches that support them in addition to multiple methods. While outlining the broader context of multi-MAP research, this research note focuses on the complementarity between the variance and systems perspectives, associated analytic approaches, and supporting research methods. We use the variance and systems multi-MAPs approach to illustrate our reasoning and outline how the approach can be applied to other MAPs. In addition, we provide researchers with guidelines that they can use to state their choice of MAP based on their research questions. Finally, we demonstrate how researchers can expand their reasoning from deductive and inductive modes to an abductive reasoning process. Using this process, they can move between integrating multiple MAPs a priori within their research design to addressing emergent findings using an a posteriori addition of MAPs. An illustrative study is used to showcase the advocated multi-MAP abductive process. In this research note, we offer guidance for the study of complex phenomena using multiple MAPs through the process of abductive reasoning. In doing so, we extend the multiple methods research discourse. We also encourage researchers to be explicit and transparent in their MAP choices, whether using a single MAP or multiple MAPs.