Cumulative Research Tradition Research Articles

Knowledge Accumulation in Design Science Research

Design science research (DSR) is increasingly prominent in the information systems discipline. However, despite a lively discourse, and methodical and conceptual advances notwithstanding, DSR contributions are rarely cumulative and mostly remain isolated. This lack of cumulative research impedes scientific progress and practical impact. Our goal in this paper is to help establish a cumulative tradition in DSR by proposing (1) a general, consensus-oriented, evolutionary process model of scientific progress based on a synthesis of different streams in the philosophy of science, (2) quality criteria for DSR contributions corresponding to the individual steps in the process model, (3) actions that the IS community as a whole can take to facilitate adherence to these quality criteria. We expect that our work can pave the way towards developing a more cumulative research tradition in DSR and thereby foster genuine scientific progress in the field.

Conceptualization, Operationalization, and Validation of the Digital Data Stream Readiness Index

This article describes how in their search for value creation, companies are investing considerable resources in so-called “Big Data” initiatives. A peculiar aspect of these initiatives is the increasing availability of real-time streams of data. Successfully leveraging these streams to extract value is emerging as a critical competence for the modern firm. Despite the significant attention received, scholarly research on Digital Data Stream (DDS) remains insufficient. More importantly, there are no specialized definitions and measurement instruments that can move the field forward by initiating a cumulative research tradition. This article can provide clarification on key definitions, differentiating DDS from Big Data. Drawing on the organizational readiness concept, the DDS readiness index develops as a measure of organizational readiness to exploit real-time digital data. This article will conceptualize, define, operationalize and validate the index. By identifying the four dimensions of mindset, skillset, dataset and toolset as the elements of the DDS readiness index and discussing its managerial and research implications

Eye on Music Reading: A Methodological Review of Studies from 1994 to 2017.

In this review, we focus on the methodological aspects of eye-tracking research in the domain of music, published and/or available between 1994 and 2017, and we identify potentially fruitful next steps to increase coherence and systematicity within this emerging field. We review and discuss choices of musical stimuli, the conditions under which these were performed (i.e. control of performance tempo and music-reading protocols), performer’s level of musical expertise, and handling of performance errors and eye-movement data. We propose that despite a lack of methodological coherence in research to date, careful reflection on earlier methodological choices can help in formulating future research questions and in positioning new work. These steps would represent progress towards a cumulative research tradition, where joint understanding is built by systematic and consistent use of stimuli, research settings and methods of analysis.

Effects of Interaction on E-Learning Satisfaction and Outcome

We have reviewed several e-learning empirical research studies that have investigated the effects of interaction on satisfaction and outcomes of e-learning, published between 2001 and 2010. Their conclusions seemed inconclusive, ranging from no relationships between interactions and two dependent variables (satisfaction and learning outcomes) to positive relationships. In-depth analyses of these empirical studies conducted by examining dependent and independent constructs and their indicators, research methods, and participants' characteristics. We conclude that the conflicting results are due to primarily different definitions of the dependent and independent constructs and their indicator variables, different research methods employed, and participant's demographic characteristics. In order to build e-learning theories and a cumulative research tradition, it is necessary to (1) define the dependent/independent constructs and their indicators, (2) employ common research methodology, and (3) test commonly accepted causal models. Further, we suggest the following three recommendation to guide the future research. They include using only dialogue, instead of mixing dialogue and interaction, conducting learning theory-based holistic approach, and proper treatment of contextual variables.

Editorial—On the Intellectual Structure and Evolution of ISR

Scholars within fields frequently introspect about the evolution of their research disciplines, asking if the discipline is developing a cumulative research tradition, influencing scholarly work in other fields, and expanding its boundaries. In this spirit, I examine the intellectual structure and evolution of one disciplinary journal, ISR, over the most recent four-year period (2012–2015). I use a census of citation data and classify journals citing ISR and cited by ISR into the disciplines they represent. Analyzing 12,833 citations to ISR from 100 journals, and 7,731 citations from ISR to papers published in 67 journals I find that, consistent with prior studies, ISR reflects the multidisciplinarity of the information systems (IS) discipline, its boundaries are expanding to include new disciplines, and the journal draws extensively on other IS journals. I raise some questions for further introspection about the impact and visibility of IS research.

A review of management history from 2010-2014 utilizing a thematic analysis approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the Management History literature in the Journal of Management History from 2010 to 2014. Design/methodology/approach – This review utilized a thematic analysis approach. Findings – The author found seven distinct themes in the literature in addition to four subthemes. The themes include management pioneers, crisis management, the dark side of management (including the subthemes of slavery, child labor, monetary factors and gender issues), ancient texts, regional differences, religion and historical impacts of key management concepts. Practical implications – This review displays management history research themes, which enables a manager to efficiently view various lenses with which to analyze management issues. Originality/value – By bringing together previously disparate streams of work to understand the themes of management history, this paper analyzes the direction of research, identifies gaps in the literature and begins to more effectively build a cumulative research tradition.

Research Commentary—Information in Digital, Economic, and Social Networks

Digital technologies have made networks ubiquitous. A growing body of research is examining these networks to gain a better understanding of how firms interact with their consumers, how people interact with each other, and how current and future digital artifacts will continue to alter business and society. The increasing availability of massive networked data has led to several streams of inquiry across fields as diverse as computer science, economics, information systems, marketing, physics, and sociology. Each of these research streams asks questions that at their core involve “information in networks”—its distribution, its diffusion, its inferential value, and its influence on social and economic outcomes. We suggest a broad direction for research into social and economic networks. Our analysis describes four kinds of investigation that seem most promising. The first studies how information technologies create and reveal networks whose connections represent social and economic relationships. The second examines the content that flows through networks and its economic, social, and organizational implications. A third develops theories and methods to understand and utilize the rich predictive information contained in networked data. A final area of inquiry focuses on network dynamics and how information technology affects network evolution. We conclude by discussing several important cross-cutting issues with implications for all four research streams, which must be addressed if the ensuing research is to be both rigorous and relevant. We also describe how these directions of inquiry are interconnected: results and ideas will pollinate across them, leading to a new cumulative research tradition.

Introduction to the Special Issue—Social Media and Business Transformation: A Framework for Research

Social media are fundamentally changing the way we communicate, collaborate, consume, and create. They represent one of the most transformative impacts of information technology on business, both within and outside firm boundaries. This special issue was designed to stimulate innovative investigations of the relationship between social media and business transformation. In this paper we outline a broad research agenda for understanding the relationships among social media, business, and society. We place the papers comprising the special issue within this research framework and identify areas where further research is needed. We hope that the flexible framework we outline will help guide future research and develop a cumulative research tradition in this area.

Information in Digital, Economic and Social Networks

Digital technologies have made networks ubiquitous. A growing body of research is examining these networks to gain a better understanding of how firms interact with their consumers, how people interact with each other, and how current and future digital artifacts will continue to alter business and society. The increasing availability of massive networked data have led to several streams of inquiry across fields as diverse as computer science, economics, information systems, marketing, physics and sociology. Each of these research streams asks questions which at their core involve ‘information in networks’ — its distribution, its diffusion, its inferential value and its influence on social and economic outcomes. We suggest a broad direction for research into social and economic networks. Our analysis describes four kinds of investigation that seem most promising. The first studies how information technologies create and reveal networks whose connections represent social and economic relationships. The second examines the content that flows through networks and its economic, social and organizational implications. A third develops theories and methods to understand and utilize the rich predictive information contained in networked data. A final area of inquiry focuses on network dynamics and how IT affects network evolution. We conclude by discussing several important cross-cutting issues with implications for all four research streams, which must be addressed if the ensuing research is to be both rigorous and relevant. We also describe how these directions of inquiry are interconnected: results and ideas will pollinate across them, leading to a new cumulative research tradition.

A Preliminary Classification of Usage Measures in Information System Acceptance

In the light of a diverse body of disorganized usage measures available and the difficulty of building a cumulative research tradition, a literature review is conducted on system use in Information Systems (IS) Acceptance through the two main theories of Technology Adoption, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and The Unified Theory of Use and Acceptance of Technology (UTAUT). The authors seek to understand how usage measures are being operationalised and proposed a preliminary classification of those measures that covers system and task aspects of use. A Q-Sort approach was taken to validate the authors’ classification scheme and the result indicates high inter-rater agreement. The ensuing classification is meant to help researchers in their choice of system use measures. This review also summarises the arguments for a multi-dimensional measure of use and establishes that omnibus measure such as frequency, volume and use/non-use hold prevalence. Finally, the authors provide recommendations for further research in the area of system use.

Searching for management information systems: coherence and change in the discipline

Abstract. The now familiar and longstanding discussion on the status of the field of management information systems (MIS) consists of at least two themes – the lack of coherence in MIS and the question of rigour vs. relevance (academic vs. practical concerns). The research questions we pose here ask: what themes or ideas represent the centre of MIS or its zones of coherence – or is diversity and fragmentation the rule? and will the centre or zones change over time? Within MIS research, is there evidence of theory building that contributes to a cumulative research tradition? Using a co‐word analysis approach – to analyse the patterns in discourse by measuring the association strengths of terms representative of relevant publications – the researchers found 62 specific centres of coherence. The data documented a high degree of change in centres of coherence over time. Evidence of theory building was extremely weak. A cumulative research tradition remains elusive. MIS centres of coherence change over time – we think, partly in response to practical pressures. We suggest that MIS opens a richer and more difficult debate on its theory, practice, and identity as a discipline in the 21st century university.

The Evolving Intellectual Diversity of the IS Discipline: Evidence from the Referent Disciplines

For over 20 years, researchers expressed their concern for the lack of theoretical development in the Information Systems discipline and the lack of a cumulative research tradition. The aim of this study is to investigate the intellectual structure of the IS discipline through an analysis of 993 mainstream research articles published in selected journals and proceedings during the previous decade (1991-2000). We explore the variety of researcher perspectives in the discipline, based on the theoretical frameworks adopted by these studies. This examination shows the relative “mindshare” of different theoretical frameworks and informs the self-reflection that is frequently undertaken in our discipline. The study generates categorizations to map theories to frameworks, which are then located in a three-dimensional ontology. The resulting mappings should help researchers understand the scope of past IS research and identify gaps in theoretical development.

Toward a Deeper Examination of Global IT Theory and Frameworks

In this paper, we examine the field of global information technology (global IT) and attempt to answer the following four questions: (1) Have we established a theory or theories, which enable us to generate a clear set of definitions that define this field? (2) Do we have a level of consensus on what we are trying to measure while we conduct research in this area? (3) What are (if any) the common threads of research in the global IT area and is there continuity in the research being conducted? (4) What are the future implications for researchers in this area and are there any concepts that need to be integrated with existing frameworks that would help define this area of research? Our answers to the four questions lead us to propose that global IT researchers need to move towards developing a theory for the field, generate a consensus on what we want to measure and build a truly global cumulative research tradition for the field. We also propose that practitioner issues should not be ignored when we attempt to search for a theory that helps define the field.

An extension of the tri-core model of information systems innovation: strategic and technological moderators

There has been significant empirical work on information systems (IS) innovation. With the advent of a myriad of new and diverse technologies being introduced into contemporary organizations this work is only going to increase in its importance. Unfortunately, results of prior empirical work have been fragmented. Many of these studies treat IS innovations as homogeneous entities and do not effectively integrate notions of IS innovation with general organizational innovation. Swanson (1994) proposes a tri-core model and theory of IS innovation that can help integrate the isolated studies in this area, and can form the foundation on which future study of IS innovation can be based. This paper, in the spirit of a cumulative research tradition, presents and builds on Swanson's framework by incorporating contingencies that might affect the model. Specifically, notions of strategy (strategic push) and technology impact are discussed in the context of the framework. We hope that continued inquiry into this area will facilitate formulation of rich theory that will enable focused inquiry on IS innovation.

The intellectual structure of decision support systems (1971–1989)

This study aims at identifying the intellectual structure of decision support systems (DSS), using factor analysis and multidimensional scaling of author cocitation frequency. Eight subsets of DSS research are identified; they are foundations, group DSS, routing DSS, data base management systems, multiple criteria DSS, marketing DSS, multiple criteria decision making, and management science. Earlier studies by Culnan reported that management information systems (MIS) have made significant progress toward a cumulative research tradition. This study extends the study of Culnan and examines a subspecialty of eight areas of MIS research identified by prior research. Contrary to the prior research, this research supports the theory of continuing fragmentation of DSS research and finds very little cumulative research tradition. Further, this study suggests that DSS research should be directed toward the improvement of organizational decision making.

Research in MIS—points of work and reference

This study replicates and extends Culnan and Swanson's study (1986) of bibliographic citations in MIS and its foundational fields in order to assess the emergence of MIS as a distinct discipline. Academic researchers, particularly those endeavoring to make advances in knowledge which build upon prior research, benefit by being able to recognize cumulative research traditions. Progress toward building and MIS identity and cumulative research tradition is measured through statistical analyses of reference patterns during the past decade in ten selected journals. Four hypotheses are tested which reveal that although MIS is still less established than its referent disciplines, maturation has occurred through systematic knowledge development and the existence of a cumulative body of research.

Mapping the Intellectual Structure of MIS, 1980-1985: A Co-Citation Analysis

This study is the second of two studies which assess the intellectual development of MIS. The present study documents the current intellectual structure of MIS research based on an author co-citation analysis. Five invisible colleges, or informal clusters of research activity, were identified (foundations; psychological approaches to MIS design and use; MIS management; organizational approaches to MIS design and use; and curriculum). When contrasted with the earlier study, these results suggest that MIS has made significant progress toward a cumulative research tradition.

A Revised Theory of Regional Integration

The study of regional integration, of how national units come to share part or all of their decisional authority with an emerging international organization, is one of the areas of political inquiry in which a cumulative research tradition has developed. Previous paradigms are scrutinized critically in new settings; replications are made and even encouraged; new concepts, hypotheses, and measures are suggested and incorporated without obliterating past work. Under these conditions theoretical formalization may play a particularly fruitful role.