Abstract
This paper utilises the Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH) framework developed by Werner Ulrich to critically consider the stakeholders and design goals that should be considered as relevant by researchers conducing Design Science Research (DSR). CSH provides a philosophically and theoretically grounded framework and means for critical consideration of the choices of stakeholders considered to be relevant to any system under design consideration. The paper recommends that legitimately undertaken DSR should include witnesses to represent the interests of the future consumers of the outcomes of DSR, i.e., the future clients, decision makers, professionals, and other non-included stakeholders in the future use of the solution technologies to be invented in DSR. The paper further discusses options for how witnesses might be included, who should be witnessed for and obstacles to implementing the recommendations.
Chapter PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
References
Baskerville, R., Pries-Heje, J., Venable, J.: Soft Design Science Research: Extending the Boundaries of Evaluation in Design Science Research. In: Chatterjee, S., Rossi, M. (eds.) Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems and Technology (DESRIST 2007), Pasadena, California, USA, May 13-15 (2007)
Baskerville, R., Vaishnavi, V. (eds.): Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems and Technology (DESRIST 2008), Atlanta, Georgia, USA, May 7-9, 2008 (2007)
Cecez-Kecmanovic, D., Klein, H.K., Brooke, C.: Exploring the Critical Agenda in Information Systems Research. Information Systems Journal 18(2), 123–135 (2008)
Chatterjee, S., Rossi, M. (eds.): Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems and Technology (DESRIST 2007), Pasadena, California, USA, May 13-15 (2007)
Checkland, P.: Systems Thinking, Systems Practice. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester (1981)
Checkland, P., Holwell, S.: Information, Systems and Information Systems. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester (1998)
Checkland, P., Scholes, J.: Soft Systems Methodology in Action. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester (1990)
Cranefield, J., Yoong, P.: To Whom Should Information Systems Research Be Relevant: The Case for an Ecological Perspective. In: Österle, H., Schelp, J., Winter, R. (eds.) Proceedings of the 15th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2007, on CD), St Gallen, Switzerland, 7-9 June 2007, pp. 1313–1324 (2007)
Emery, M. (ed.): Participative Design for Participative Democracy. Centre for Continuing Education. Australian National University, Canberra (1989)
Gregor, S., Jones, D.: The Anatomy of a Design Theory. Journal of the Association for Information Systems 8(5), article 2, 312–335 (2007)
Habermas, J.: Moral Consciousness and Communicative Action. MIT Press, Cambridge (1983) (English translation 1991)
Hevner, A., Chatterjee, S. (eds.): Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Design Science in Information Systems and Technology (DESRIST 2006),, Claremont, California, USA, February 24-26, 2005 (2006), http://ncl.cgu.edu/firstdesignconf/Cochairmsg.htm (viewed 18 June 2007)
Hevner, A.R., March, S.T., Park, J., Ram, S.: Design Science in Information Systems Research. MIS Quarterly 28(1), 75–105 (2004)
Keen, P.: Relevance and rigour in information systems research: Improving quality, confidence, cohesion and impact. In: Nissen, H.-E., Klein, H.K., Hirschheim, R. (eds.) Information Systems Research: Contemporary Approaches and Emergent Traditions (Proceedings of the IFIP WG 8.2 Working Conference in Copenhagen), pp. 27–49. North-Holland, Amsterdam (1991)
Kyng, M., Beardon, C., Mathiassen, L. (eds.): Computers and Design in Context. MIT Press, Cambridge (1997)
March, S.T., Smith, G.F.: Design and Natural Science Research on Information Technology. Decision Support Systems 15(4), 251–266 (1995)
Mitchell, R.K., Agle, B.R., Wood, D.J.: Toward a Theory of Stakeholder Identification and Salience: Defining the Principle of Who and What Really Counts. Academy of Management Journal 22(4), 853–886 (1997)
Moody, D.: Building links between IS research and professional practice: improving the relevance and impact of IS research. In: Proceedings of the Twenty First International Conference on Information Systems, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, pp. 351–360 (2000)
Moody, D., Buist, A.: Improving Links Between Information Systems Research and Practice – Lessons from the Medical Profession. In: Proceedings of the 10th Australasian Conference on Information Systems, Wellington, New Zealand, pp. 645–659 (1999)
Mumford, E.: Designing Human Systems: The ETHICS Method. Manchester Business School (1983)
Mumford, E.: Systems Design: Ethical Tools for Ethical Change. Macmillan, London (1996)
Mumford, E.: The Story of Socio-Technical Design: Reflections on its successes, failures and potential. Information Systems Journal 16, 317–342 (2006)
Nunamaker Jr., J.F., Chen, M., Purdin, T.D.M.: Systems Development in Information Systems Research. Journal of Management Information Systems 7(3), 89–106 (1991)
Schuler, D., Namioka, A.: Participatory Design: Principles and Practices. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah (1993)
Stahl, B.C.: The Ethical Nature of Critical Research in Information Systems. Information Systems Journal 18(2), 137–163 (2008)
Sun, Y., Kantor, P.B.: Cross-Evaluation: A new model for information system evaluation. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 57(5), 614–628 (2006)
Ulrich, W.: Critical Heuristics of Social Planning: A New Approach to Practical Philosophy. Paul Hapt, Bern/Stuttgart (1983)
Ulrich, W.: Critical Heuristics of Social Systems Design. European Journal of Operational Research 31, 276–283 (1987)
Ulrich, W.: Critical Systems Heuristics. In: Daellenbach, H.G., Flood, R.L. (eds.) The Informed Student Guide to Management Science. Thomson Learning, London (2002)
Vaishnavi, V., Kuechler, B.: Design Research in Information Systems. in ISWorldNet website (2004), http://www.isworld.org/Researchdesign/drisISworld.htm (viewed 9 January 2006)
Venable, J.R.: The Role of Theory and Theorising in Design Science Research. In: Hevner, A., Chatterjee, S. (eds.) Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Design Science in Information Systems and Technology (DESRIST 2006), Claremont, California, USA, February 24-26 (2006a), http://ncl.cgu.edu/firstdesignconf/DESRIST%202006%20Proceedings/2A_1.pdf (viewed June 18, 2007)
Venable, J.: A Framework for Design Science Research Activities. In: Proceedings of the 2006 Information Resource Management Association Conference, Washington, DC, USA (2006b)
Walls, J.G., Widmeyer, G.R., El Sawy, O.A.: Building an information system design theory for vigilant EIS. Information Systems Research 3(1), 36–59 (1992)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 IFIP International Federation for Information Processing
About this paper
Cite this paper
Venable, J.R. (2009). Identifying and Addressing Stakeholder Interests in Design Science Research: An Analysis Using Critical Systems Heuristics. In: Dhillon, G., Stahl, B.C., Baskerville, R. (eds) Information Systems – Creativity and Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 301. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02388-0_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02388-0_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-02387-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-02388-0
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)