MIS Quarterly
Pattern-based design research: an iterative research method balancing rigor and relevance
DESRIST'13 Proceedings of the 8th international conference on Design Science at the Intersection of Physical and Virtual Design
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A preoccupation with research methodologies is negatively affecting the quality of information systems (IS) research. Current IS research seems more concerned with "how" the research is conducted rather than "what" research is conducted and "why". This "tyranny of methodologies in IS research" is having a number of effects on IS research including influencing the problems that are chosen for study, affecting the papers that are selected for publication, and generally influencing the direction of the entire field. This paper explores this phenomenon. The paper describes the context and outlines the dimensions of the problem. It compares the "methodologies problem" in the IS field with the use of methodologies in other management disciplines. Finally, it proposes a number of approaches to help the IS discipline take a more balanced perspective in terms of the research methodologies it use.