Multi-grounded action research
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Multi‑grounded action research Göran Goldkuhl1,2 · Stefan Cronholm3 · Mikael Lind4,5 Received: 14 February 2019 / Accepted: 1 April 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract The research approach of multi-grounded action research (MGAR) is presented and analyzed. This is based on a review of issues and concerns in information systems action research. MGAR builds on the epistemological principles of multigrounding. This combines empirical, theoretical and internal grounding. The multigrounded approach builds on elements from grounded theory; i.e. building theory inductively from data through coding procedures, but it also comprises an abductive use of extant theory. MGAR is described through six knowledge contributions: (1) the MGAR process model, (2) the MGAR knowledge model, (3) the MGAR theory model, (4) the principle of the multi-grounded change outcome, (5) the principle of the multi-grounded theory outcome and (6) the principle of mutuality of purposes. MGAR has been applied in an IT service management (ITSM) case, which serves an illustration and a validation of MGAR. In this MGAR case, the improvement of ITSM has been conducted and studied through a multi-organizational setting. In the case, there was a special focus on the service quality of IT services and the relations between service providers and customers. Keywords Action research · Information systems · Qualitative research · Multigrounding · Grounded theory · Empirical grounding · Theoretical grounding · Internal grounding · Situational inquiry · IT service management * Göran Goldkuhl [email protected] Stefan Cronholm [email protected] Mikael Lind [email protected] 1
Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
2
Department of Informatics and Media, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
3
Department of Business and IT, University of Borås, Borås, Sweden
4
Mobility and Systems, Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE), Gothenburg, Sweden
5
Mechanics and Maritime Sciences (M2), Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Vol.:(0123456789)
G. Goldkuhl et al.
1 Introduction 1.1 Background After years of struggle, action research (AR) has emerged as a widely accepted research approach within information systems (IS). The two special issues in Information Technology and People (Kock and Lau 2001) and MIS Quarterly (Baskerville and Myers 2004), together with the compilation of articles in Kock (2007), are signs of this growing recognition. Confer also reviews of action research in IS made by Lau (1997), Baskerville and Wood-Harper (1998), Chiasson et al. (2008), Mathiassen et al. (2012) and Avison et al. (2018). There have been debates and criticisms concerning the scientific legitimacy of AR. It is, however, too early to say that the time of objections and controversies is over; cf. e.g. Avison et al. (2018) about problems to get AR papers published in IS journals. This paper addresses different challenges, controversies and unresolved issues and concerns in action research. These are
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