Practical understanding: Hermeneutics and teaching the management of information systems development using a case study

Abstract

Though there is an increasing interest in information systems research that is not based on attempting to emulate perceived scientific techniques, the teaching of management and information systems remains either didactic and fact based or restricted to case studies that encourage the use of specialised techniques. In both contexts, the student is expected to adopt an objective and analytic stance in relation to the subject material. This paper attempts to redress this imbalance by focusing on the importance of the hermeneutic process of understanding both as a theoretic concept and its implications in practice. It stresses the interpretative nature of understanding and the situatedness of those who apply techniques. Practical understanding derives, not from the accumulation of abstract concepts, but from the application of those concepts and associated methods in concrete situations; that is, the application of general principles in specific circumstances that require decisions that cannot be left to technique alone. However, it can be difficult to see the use of hermeneutics in practice and a case study used in teaching information systems development that employs these concepts is presented together with examples of some of the issues that such an approach raises.