Matti Rossi is a professor at Aalto University School of Business in Finland. He discusses action design research (ADR), which integrates design research and action research. ADR aims to solve organizational problems while also contributing to academic knowledge. It involves four stages: problem formulation, building/intervention/evaluation, reflection/learning, and formalization of learning. As an example, Rossi describes a case where ADR was used to develop strategies and tools to improve transparency in a software company's globally distributed R&D network.

1. Matti Rossi
Aalto University School of Business
Based on:
SEIN, M., HENFRIDSSON, O., PURAO, S., ROSSI, M. & LINDGREN, R. 2011,
Action Design Research, fortcoming, June 2011, MIS Quarterly.
http://aisel.aisnet.org/misq/vol35/iss1/5/
Engaging Practitioners
in IS Research
Through Action Design
Research

2. Topics
My background
AIS Mission and Core Values
Action Design Research
Case example

3. My academic background
President of AIS 2017 - 2018
Professor of information systems at Aalto University School of
Business, Helsinki, Finland
Docent of Information Systems Development, Lappeenranta
University of Technology
Did all my studies at University of Jyväskylä in Finland,
finished my PhD in 1998
One year visits to Georgia State Univ., RSM Erasmus,
Claremont Graduate College and NYU Stern
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4. My business background
Minority owner and former board member of
MetaCase Consulting (www.metacase.com)
• Innosuomi runner up
• Byte Most innovative product runner up
• Nokia used our code in all Series 40 feature phones
Former board member at QT plc, a publicly traded
company selling open source software
Winner of the Millennium Distinction Award 2013
for Open Source and Data Research

5. Aalto University

6. AIS Reach
4,500 members from 100+ countries
Academics, Ph.D. Candidates, Professionals, & Retirees
2,500+ Student Chapter members
16 volunteer Council members

7. A Truly Global Community
AMCIS
PACIS
ECIS
ICIS

8. AIS Improving Research
Opportunities
Curate the intellectual
products of all
scholarship produced by
the IS community – be
they owned by the AIS
or not.

9. AIS Serving the Field of IS
AMCIS
PACIS
Inclusive Conferences Journal Rankings Career Services
IS Education Report IS Job Index

10. My approach to impact and working
with practitioners
Action Design Research
• A Design Research method integrating AR and DR
Recognizes that IS has a dual mission
- adding to existing theory
- producing knowledge to support IS practitioners in solving current and anticipated
problems
Subscribe to the notion that the core that separates IS from
other disciplines is development of and engagement with IT
artifacts
Our aim is to “improve the ways people create
value with information” (Nunamaker and Briggs 2011)

11. Research that has impact in IS
Engages deeply with practitioners in a reciprocal relationship
Improves some organizational capability
Develops a new perspective on this organizational capability
Develops further innovative features of the technology and/or,
Changes organizational practices
The share of artefact and organizational change can differ in
different projects
• Design or Action oriented research focus

12. Collaborative practice research
Improve
Design
Intervention
Interpretation
Support Understand
MATHIASSEN, L. (2002) "Collaborative Practice Research,"
Information Technology & People, Vol. 15 No. 4, 2002, pp. 321-345.

13. The ADR Process
Problem
Formulation
1
BIE
2
Reflection
and
Learning
3
Formalization
of Learning
4

14. Stage 1:
An immediate or anticipated problem:
• perceived by organizational participants, and framed by
the researcher
Identify the class of which the specific
problem is an instance
Formulate initial research questions
Identify contributing theoretical bases
Identify prior technology advances
Problem
Formulation
1

15. Stage 2: Building, Intervention, and
Evaluation (BIE)
BIE intends to support an iterative
process at the intersection of the
IT artifact and the organizational
environment
Building, intervention, and
evaluation are interwoven
Two forms of BIE:
• IT-dominant BIE
• Organization-dominant BIE
BIE
2

16. BIE Cycles

17. ADR: Stage 3
Analyze intervention results
Ongoing evaluation of adherence to
principles
Reflection
And
Learning
3

18. ADR: Stage 4
Focused on transferability of results and
communication of outcomes
Formalization
of Learning
4

19. CREATING GLOBAL DYNAMIC
CAPABILITIES:
R&D Network Management for
Globally Distributed Research & Development
in the Software Industry
MARKUS ALSLEBEN
Action Design Research Case Example

20. Voice Of
Customer
Requiremen
ts
evaluation
Lack of
Strategy
and
Processes
Observation
and Theory
infusion
Build
Strategy
& Process
V1
Stringent
Strategy &
“Clearing
House
Process”
Observation
and Theory
infusion
Evaluation
&
Reflection
Baseline Version 1 Version 2 Final Version
Build
Strategy
& Process
V2
Evaluation
&
Reflection
Guiding
Principles and
Exception
Handling
Process
Evaluation
&
Reflection
Build Final
Strategy
& Process
Observation
and Theory
infusion
Added Feedback
Loop / Interfaces
Compliance
Check
User
Acceptanc
e
BIE Cycles in LSM-Strategy and
Process

21. Voice Of
Customer
Requiremen
ts
evaluation
Lack of
Transparen
cy
Observation
and Theory
infusion
DataCube
V1
WebGIS V1
DC: Internal
KPIs
WG: Basic
Functions
Observation
and Theory
infusion
Evaluation
&
Reflection
Baseline Version 1 Version 2 Final Version
DataCube
V2
WebGIS V2
Evaluation
&
Reflection
DC: Int.+Ext.
Data
WG: Enhanced
Functions
Evaluation
&
Reflection
DataCube
V3
WebGIS V3
Observation
and Theory
infusion
DC: Automatic
Upload
WG:
Authorization
Concept
User
Acceptanc
e
BIE Cycles in LSM-Data and ICT Tools

22. Artifacts in LSM-Data and ICT Tools

23. LSM Working Group Training: Walldorf 23. Feb 2010
• Project Handbook Creation / Training Materials
• Debriefing Interviews with 26 stakeholders and project members
• Guiding Principles, Organization, Processes and Tools implemented in
Formalization of Learning - Share Outcomes

24. Problem Solution as
artifact in use
Class of
Problems
Class of
Solutions
Design
Theory
Design
Principles
Design
process
Level 2
Level 1
Level 3
Level 4
Generalizing from ADR

25. Market-based Validation of ADR results
(Kasanen & Lukka)
Weak market test
• a manager applies the construction in a company
Semi-strong market test
• constructions becomes widely adopted by companies
Strong market test
• systematic application produces better financial results
Semi-strong and strong market tests require statistical analysis
of a substantial amount of implementation data

26. Some remarks
Currently 1337 Google Scholar citations for the ADR article
Several doctoral theses done according to the method
• Markus Alsleben’s thesis at HKUST about changing SAP
global R&D strategy: http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Dynamic-
Capabilities-Distributed-Development-
ebook/dp/B009VOFEU2/ref=la_B009W1GCPK_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397
115189&sr=1-1
Several articles in top journal use the method in their empirical
work
There are articles extending the work on other fields
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27. Conclusions
Our research should be such that it has impact on the society
around us
The impact should be positive, or we should try to identify and
mitigate the negative aspects of digital innovations
We should be reflexive and listen carefully to practitioners as
we change their ways of living and doing business
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28. “Action Design Research” available at: http://aisel.aisnet.org/misq/vol35/iss1/5/

29. Contact Information
Matti Rossi
Aalto University School of Business
Finland
Email: matti.rossi@aalto.fi
Skype: motrossi

30. Further reading
Sein, M., Henfridsson, O., Purao, S., Rossi, M. & Lindgren, R. (2011)
Action Design Research, MIS Quarterly, 35(1).
http://aisel.aisnet.org/misq/vol35/iss1/5/
Sherer, Susan A. (2014) "Advocating for Action Design Research on IT
Value Creation in Healthcare," Journal of the Association for
Information Systems, 15(12). http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol15/iss12/2
Baskerville, R., Baiyere, A., Gregor, S., Hevner, A., & Rossi, M. (2018).
Design Science Research Contributions: Finding a Balance between
Artifact and Theory. Journal of the Association for Information
Systems, 19(5), 358-376. https://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol19/iss5/3
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