This article discusses the conduct and evaluatoin of interpretive research in information systems. While the conventions for evaluating information systems case studies conducted according to the natural science model of social science are now widely accepted, this is not the case for interpretive field studies. A set of principles for the conduct and evaluation of interpretive field research in information systems is proposed, along with their philosophical rationale. The usefulness of the principles is illustrated by evaluating three published interpretive field studies drawn from the IS research literature. The intention of the paper is to further reflect and debate on the important subject of grounding interpretive research methodology.

A set of principles for conducting and evaluating interpretive field studies in information systems

There has been an increase in recent years in the number of in-depth case studies which focus on human actions and interpretations surrounding the development and use of computer-based information systems (IS). This paper addresses philosophical and theoretical issues concerning the nature of such interpretive case studies, and methodological issues on the conduct and reporting of this type of research. The paper aims to provide a useful reference point for researchers who wish to work in the interpretive tradition, and more generally to encourage careful work on the conceptualisation and execution of case studies in the information systems field.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1057%2Fejis.1995.9.pdf

Interpretive case studies in IS research: nature and method

We examined 155 behavioral information systems research articles published from 1983-1988and found that while this research is not rooted in a single overarching theoretical perspective itdoes exhibit a single set of philosophical assumptions about the nature of valid evidence andthe phenomena of interest to information systems researchers. We argue in this paper that thesephilosophical assumptions draw on the natural science tradition, and hence may not always beappropriate for inquiry into the relationships between information technology and people or organizations. In particular, we suggest that the development and use of information technologywithin organizations is inherently processual and contextual, and that these characteristics are notalways adequately captured by the philosophical assumptions prevalent in information systemsresearch. Positing social process as central to information systems phenomena asserts theimportance of studying the ongoing interactions among people, information technology andorganizations, as these are situated historically and contextually.We argue in this paper that the dominant research perspective in information systems research isnot well-equipped to deal with situated interactions over time, and propose additional researchphilosophies to augment the one currently favored by behavioral information systemsresearchers. We outline the features of such additional research perspectives, the interpretive andthe critical, providing empirical examples to illustrate how and when they may be useful. Weconclude that multiple research perspectives can usefully be employed within the informationsystems community to enrich understanding of behavioral information systems phenomena.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/2451_14404.pdf?abstractid=1289076&mirid=1&type=2

Studying Information Technology in Organizations: Research Approaches and Assumptions

Case study is a suitable research methodology for software engineering research since it studies contemporary phenomena in its natural context. However, the understanding of what constitutes a case study varies, and hence the quality of the resulting studies. This paper aims at providing an introduction to case study methodology and guidelines for researchers conducting case studies and readers studying reports of such studies. The content is based on the authors' own experience from conducting and reading case studies. The terminology and guidelines are compiled from different methodology handbooks in other research domains, in particular social science and information systems, and adapted to the needs in software engineering. We present recommended practices for software engineering case studies as well as empirically derived and evaluated checklists for researchers and readers of case study research.

/pdf/guidelines-for-conducting-and-reporting-case-study-research-q10xdzyou5.pdf

Guidelines for conducting and reporting case study research in software engineering

We examined 155 information systems research articles published from 1983 to 1988 and found that although this research is not rooted in a single overarching theoretical perspective, it does exhibit a single set of philosophical assumptions regarding the nature of the phenomena studied by information systems researchers, and what constitutes valid knowledge about those phenomena. We believe that a single research perspective for studying information systems phenomena is unnecessarily restrictive, and argue that there exist other philosophical assumptions that can inform studies of the relationships between information technology, people, and organizations. In this paper, we present two additional research philosophies for consideration-the interpretive and the critical-and for each we provide empirical examples to illustrate how they are used. We conclude by suggesting that much can be gained if a plurality of research perspectives is effectively employed to investigate information systems phenomena. Philosophical assumptions—Research approaches—Positivist research—Interpretivist research—Critical research

This article defines and discusses one of these qualitative methods - the case research strategy Suggestions are provided for researchers who wish to undertake research employing this approach Criteria for the evaluation of case research are established and several characteristics useful for categorizing the studies are identified A sample of papers drawn from information systems journals is reviewed The paper concludes with examples of research areas that are particularly well-suited to investigation using the case research approach

/pdf/the-case-research-strategy-in-studies-of-information-systems-3ourncn72h.pdf

The case research strategy in studies of information systems

An Examination of Work-Related Correl ates of Job Satisfaction in Programmer/Analysts.

In the past, research examining the work-related correlates of job satisfaction in programmer/analysts has focused on the relationship between characteristics of the job itself and job satisfaction. It is hypothesized that certain aspects of relationships with co-workers, project leaders, and users will also be significant correlates of job satisfaction. Specifically, the relationship between job satisfaction, role conflict, role ambiguity, and quality of leadership provided by supervisors and peers is examined. A questionnaire measuring job characteristics, role conflict and ambiguity, leadership characteristics, and job satisfaction was administered to 118 programmer/analysts at four companies. The results indicate that both role and leadership variables correlated at least as highly with job satisfaction as job characteristics and that the addition of role and leadership variables to job characteristics significantly increases the explained variance in job satisfaction.

/pdf/an-examination-of-work-related-correlates-of-job-2lrcfzegy5.pdf

An examination of work-related correlates of job satisfaction in programmer/analysts

Computer aided manufacturability analysis: Closing the knowledge gap between the designer and the manufacturer

:A measure for classifying programmer/analysts based on the tasks they perform is proposed. A questionnaire, including the measure and measures of work satisfaction, job characteristics, role perceptions, and user interaction characteristics, was administered to over 250 subjects in a manufacturing firm. The results indicated that the task differences measure could be used to classify programmer/analysts into four groups—development/programmers, development/analysts, maintainers, and supporters. In addition, significant differences among the groups in skill variety, role ambiguity, and amount of user interaction were found. Implications of the results for those interested in redesigning the jobs of programmer/analysts are discussed.

David K. Goldstein

Papers

The case research strategy in studies of information systems

An Examination of Work-Related Correl ates of Job Satisfaction in Programmer/Analysts.

An examination of work-related correlates of job satisfaction in programmer/analysts

Computer aided manufacturability analysis: Closing the knowledge gap between the designer and the manufacturer

The effects of task differences on the work satisfaction, job characteristics, and role perceptions of programmer/analysts