Philosophical Smoke Signals: Theory and Practice in Information Systems Design

TL;DR

This paper advocates for a pragmatic approach to integrating theory and practice in Information Systems by encouraging researchers to focus on the practical implications of their theoretical work, rather than seeking a single unified theory.

Contribution

It proposes re-examining theoretical arguments for their practical consequences to develop more rigorous, applicable theories that bridge the gap between theory and practice in Information Systems.

Findings

Re-examining theoretical arguments enhances practical relevance.

Focus on practical consequences can improve theory development.

Avoids the pursuit of a single unified theory.

Abstract

Although the gulf between the theory and practice in Information Systems is much lamented, few researchers have offered a way forward except through a number of (failed) attempts to develop a single systematic theory for Information Systems. In this paper, we encourage researchers to re-examine the practical consequences of their theoretical arguments. By examining these arguments we may be able to form a number of more rigorous theories of Information Systems, allowing us to draw theory and practice together without undertaking yet another attempt at the holy grail of a single unified systematic theory of Information Systems.