A DESIGN THEORY FOR SYSTEMS THAT SUPPORT EMERGENT KNOWLEDGE PROCESSES.

Author List: Markus, M. Lynne; Majchrzak, Ann; Gasser, Les;
MIS Quarterly, 2002, Volume 26, Issue 3, Page 179-212.
This paper addresses the design problem of providing IT support for emerging knowledge processes (EKPs). EKPs are organizational activity patterns that exhibit three characteristics in combination: an emergent process of deliberations with no best structure or sequence; requirements for knowledge that are complex (both general and situational), distributed across people, and evolving dynamically; and an actor set that is unpredictable in terms of job roles or prior knowledge. Examples of EKPs include basic research, new product development, strategic business planning, and organization design. EKPs differ qualitatively from semi-structured decision making processes; therefore, they have unique requirements that are not all thoroughly supported by familiar classes of systems, such as executive information systems, expert systems, electronic communication systems, organizational memory systems, or repositories. Further, the development literature on familiar classes of systems does not provide adequate guidance on how to build systems that support EKPs. Consequently, EKPs require a new IS design theory, as explicated by Walls et al. (1992). We created such a theory while designing and deploying a system for the EKP of organization design. The system was demonstrated through subsequent empirical analysis to be successful in supporting the process. Abstracting from the experience of building this system, we developed an IS design theory for EKP support systems. This new IS design theory is an important theoretical contribution, because it both provides guidance to developers and sets an agenda for academic research. EKP design theory makes the development process more tractable for developers by restricting the range of effective features (or rules for selecting features) and the range of effective development practices to a more manageable set. EKP design theory also sets an agenda for academic research by articulating theory-based principles that are subject to empirical, as well as practical, validation.
Keywords: emergent knowledge process; IS design theory; IS development; Knowledge Management
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#110 0.149 theory theories theoretical paper new understanding work practical explain empirical contribution phenomenon literature second implications different building based insights need
#154 0.137 memory support organizations information organizational requirements different complex require development provides resources organization paper transactive depth process outside difficult breadth
#270 0.113 design designs science principles research designers supporting forms provide designing improving address case little space criteria methods increasing synthesis designer
#294 0.104 development systems methodology methodologies information framework approach approaches paper analysis use presented applied assumptions based proposed described examines basis proposes
#4 0.082 characteristics experience systems study prior effective complexity deal reveals influenced companies type analyze having basis conducted determine complex comparative drive
#245 0.070 knowledge sharing contribution practice electronic expertise individuals repositories management technical repository knowledge-sharing shared contributors novelty features peripheral share benefit seekers
#188 0.055 processes interaction new interactions temporal structure research emergent process theory address temporally core discussion focuses area underlying deep structures way
#167 0.052 workflow tools set paper management specification command support formal implemented scenarios associated sequence large derived taxonomies called given systematic specifications