The methodological landscape: Information systems and knowledge management

Abstract

This chapter begins with a broad overview of the methodological landscape that distinguishes between three levels: the level of meta-theoretical assumptions where different paradigms are articulated, the level of research methods and the level of research techniques and tools. Different research paradigms are then discussed, making explicit the assumptions that inform them, and the relationships between methodology, theory and method in conducting research. We then build on this analysis illustrating the distinctive nature of the paradigms with examples from three seminal papers from within the same topic domain, information richness. Drawing on these papers, we discuss how the methodological assumptions determine choice of research paradigm, formulation of research questions and selection of methods, and provide practical examples of how this is achieved. The chapter concludes by summarising the arguments for adopting a broader view of research methodology and its importance for achieving greater reflexive awareness of our ‘unconscious metaphysics’ that underlay and influence how we see and research the world.