Realising Research: Critical Realism as an Underpinning Philosophy for IS and Management Research
John Mingers Kent Business School, University of Kent
1200 - 1330 18 May 2011
Room NAB 5.21
As we are expecting more than usual interest in this seminar, we would be grateful if you could indicate whether you might attend by contacting Ben Eaton so that we can set the room up accordingly.
Information Systems has struggled to deal with a variety of different research paradigms. Established initially within a positivist tradition, alternatives emerged in terms of, for example, interpretivism, phenomenology and critical theory. After a period of conflict the basic legitimacy of these approaches was accepted, even by the major, largely positivist, journals such as MISQ and ISR. However, the situation has not been fully resolved. First, there is still considerable debate about the effects of a multiplicity of paradigms on the discipline. Second, although qualitative research is accepted in principle, several surveys have shown that little of it is published in practice, especially in the major journals. This is unsatisfactory, both because the conflict and disagreement is a diversion from the task of researching into the developments and effects of IS; and because it produces a confusing and fragmented landscape for young researchers coming into the discipline. Critical realism offers a potential answer to both of these problems. It provides a coherent and well-developed philosophical platform that accepts elements of both positivism and interpretivism whilst recognizing the limitations of both. And, it has a well developed methodology of its own (abduction) that provides a sound alternative to either deduction or induction/falsification. It is comfortable embracing both extensive (nomological) and intensive (ideographic) research either separately or in combination. And, finally, it pushes us as researchers to go beyond the observation of particular facts or interpretations towards an understanding and explanation of why they occur and what effects they might have.
John Mingers is Professor of Operational Research and Information Systems at Kent Business School, University of Kent, and is Director of Research. Prior to that he was Head of the OR and Systems group at Warwick Business School. John studied Management Sciences for his first degree at Warwick University and later completed an MA in Systems in Management at Lancaster University and a PhD at Warwick. His research includes the use of systems methodologies in problem situations - particularly the mixing of different methodologies within an intervention (multimethodology); critical realism as an underpinning philosophy for information systems and operational research; the development of the critical systems approach; autopoiesis (self-producing systems) and its applications; and, since becoming Director of Research, an unhealthy interest in journal rankings and citations. He is a founder of the Centre for the Evaluation of Research Performance. He published the first comprehensive study of autopoiesis - Self-Producing Systems: Implications and Applications of Autopoiesis (Wiley); his recent book, Realising Systems thinking: Knowledge and Action in Management Science (Springer), includes chapters on the nature of information and its relations to meaning and knowledge.
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For any further queries regarding this seminar or to request information about future events please contact Imran Iqbal, Research Coordinator.
