Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

International Conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems

DESRIST 2010: Global Perspectives on Design Science Research pp 154–166Cite as

The Ecology of Learning-by-Building: Bridging Design Science and Natural History of Knowledge

  • Conference paper

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNISA,volume 6105))

Abstract

A growing stream of research in Information Systems – Organizational Studies is focusing on Design Sciences, not only because a deep understanding of design processes is perceived as fundamental in order to enhance artifacts quality, but also because design activity is more and more understood as a powerful opportunity to create new knowledge. But what are the relationships between design as a pragmatic, problem-solving activity, and design as a learning activity? Moreover, what are the relationships between design as a learning activity, and "proper" scientific research? Even more importantly, under what conditions does successful learning-by-building more probably take place? Natural sciences, and Konrad Lorenz in particular, have given important contributions to answer these questions. This paper seeks to demonstrate how eco-evolutionary thought, which has been quite overlooked in our disciplinary field so far, could be useful to build an effective, multi-disciplinary, epistemologically sound basis to Design Sciences.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. March, S.T., Smith, G.: Design and Natural Science Research on Information Technology. Decision Support Systems 15(4), 251–266 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Hevner, A.R., March, S.T., Park, J., Ram, S.: Design Science in Information Systems Research. MIS Quarterly 28(1), 75–105 (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  3. March, S., Storey, V.C. (eds.): MIS Quarterly, Special Issue on Design Science (September 2008)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Alchian, A.A.: Uncertainty, evolution, and economic theory. Journal of Political Economy 58, 211–221 (1950)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Simon, H.: The Sciences of the Artificial. MIT Press, Cambridge (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Nelson, R.R., Winter, S.G.: An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Kauffman, S.A.: Adaptation on rugged fitness landscapes. In: Stein, D.L. (ed.) Lectures in the Sciences of Complexity, pp. 527–618. Addison-Wesley, Redwood City (1989)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Kauffman, S.A.: The Origins of Order. Self-Organization and Selection in Evolution. Oxford University Press, Oxford (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Kauffman, S.A., Lobo, J., Macready, W.G.: Optimal search on a technology landscape. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 43, 141–166 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Kauffman, S.A., Macready, W.G.: Technological evolution and adaptive organizations. Complexity 1, 26–43 (1995)

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  11. Niehaves, B.: On Episemological Diversity in Design Science: New Vistas for a Design-Oriented IS Research? In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), paper 133 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  12. McKay, J., Marshall, P.: A Review of Design Science in Information Systems. In: Australasian Conference on Information Systems (ACIS 2005), Sydney (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Nunamaker, J., Chen, M., Purdin, T.: System Development in Information Systems Research. Journal of Management Information Systems 7(3), 89–106 (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Purao, S.: Design Research in the Technology of Information Systems: Truth or Dare. GSU Department of CIS Working Paper. Atlanta (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Indulska, M., Recker, J.C.: Design Science in IS Research: A Literature Analysis. In: Gregor, S., Ho, S. (eds.) Proceedings 4th Biennial ANU Workshop on Information Systems Foundations, Canberra, Australia (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Purao, S.: The Sciences of Design: Observations from an Emerging Field. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, vol. 23, art. 29 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Love, T.: Constructing a Coherent Cross-Disciplinary Body of Theory about Designing and Designs: Some Philosophical Issues. International Journal of Design Studies 23(3), 345–361 (2002)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  18. Iivari, J.: A Paradigmatic Analysis of Information Systems as a Design Science. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems 19(2), 39–64 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Gregg, D., Kulkarni, U., Vinze, A.: Understanding the Philosophical Underpinnings of Software Engineering Research in Information Systems. Information Systems Frontiers 3(2), 169–183 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Lee, A.S.: Systems Thinking, Design Science, and Paradigms. Heeding Three Lessons from the Past to Resolve Three Dilemmas in the Present to Direct a Trajectory for Future Research in the Information Systems Field (Keynote Speech). In: 11th International Conference on Information Management, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Walls, J.G., Widmeyer, G.R., El Sawy, O.A.: Building an Information System Design Theory for Vigilant EIS. Information Systems Research 3(1), 36–59 (1992)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Au, Y.A.: Design Science I: The Role of Design Science in Electronic Commerce Research. Communications of the AIS (7) (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Boland, R.J., Day, W.F.: The Experience of System Design: A Hermeneutic of Organizational Action. Scandinavian Journal of Management 5(2), 87–104 (1989)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Rossi, M., Sein, M.: Design Research Workshop: A Proactive Research Approach. In: IRIS 2003, Helsinki (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Markus, M.L., Majchrzak, A., Gasser, L.: A Design Theory for Systems that Support Emergent Knowledge Processes. MIS Quarterly 26(3), 179–212 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Archer, L.B.: Whatever Became of Design Methodology? Design Studies 1(1), 17–20 (1979)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Cross, N.: Designerly Ways of Knowing. Birkhäuser, Basel (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Cross, N., Christiaans, H., Dorst., K. (eds.): Analysing Design Activity. Wiley Publications, Hoboken (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Järvinen, P.: On design Methods. Opinpaja Oy. Tampere, Finland (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Schön, D.A.: The Reflective Practitioner. Basic Books, New York (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Cross, N.: Design/Science/Research: Developing a Discipline. In: International Symposium on the 5th Asian Design Conference, Seoul, Korea (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Baskerville, R., Wood-Harper, A.T.: Diversity in information systems action research methods. European Journal of Information Systems 7(2), 90–107 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Klein, H.K., Myers, M.D.: A Set of Principles for Conducting and Evaluating Interpretive Field Studies in Information Systems. MIS Quarterly 23(1), 67–94 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Venable, J.R.: A Framework for Design Science Research Activities. In: Proceedings of the Information Resource Management Association Conference, Washington, DC, USA, May 21-24 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  35. Venable, J.R., Travis, J.: Using a Group Support System for the Distributed Application of Soft Systems Methodology. In: Hope, B., Yoong, P. (eds.) Proceedings of the 10th Australasian Conference in Information Systems, Wellington, New Zealand, December 1-3, pp. 1105–1117 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  36. Lorenz, K.: On Aggression, Harcourt. Brace and World, New York (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  37. Lorenz, K.: Behind the Mirror. A search for a natural history of human knowledge. Harcourt Brace, New York (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  38. Lorenz, K.: Civilized Man’s Eight Deadly Sins. Harcourt Brace, New York (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  39. Lorenz, K.: The Waning of Humaneness. Little, Brown & Co., Boston (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  40. Dey, D., Sarkar, S.: Modifications of Uncertain Data: A Bayesian Framework for Belief Revision. Information Systems Research 11(1), 1–16 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Nelson, H., Stolterman, E.: The Design Way—Intentional Change in an Unpredictable World, vol. 544 Volume 23 Article 29. Educational Technology Publications, New Jersey (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  42. Batra, D., Davis, J.: Conceptual Data Modeling in Database Design: Similarities and Differences between Expert and Novice Designers. International Journal of Man-Machine Studies 37, 83–101 (1992)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Oxman, R.E.: Precedents in Design: A Computational Model for the Organization of Precedent Knowledge. Design Studies 15(2), 141–157 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Purao, S., Han, T., Storey, V.C.: Improving Reuse-based Design: Augmenting Analysis Patterns Reuse with Learning. Information Systems Research 14(3), 269–290 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Baldwin, C.Y., Clark, K.B.: Design Rules. The Power of Modularity, vol. 1. MIT Press, Cambridge (2000)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Catholic University, Milan, Italy

    Marco De Marco, Renato Fiocca & Francesca Ricciardi

Authors
  1. Marco De Marco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Renato Fiocca
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Francesca Ricciardi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Information Management, University of St. Gallen, Müller-Friedberg-Strasse 8, 9000, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Robert Winter

  2. Department of Information Systems, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

    J. Leon Zhao

  3. Institut of Information Management, University of St. Gallen, Mueller-Friedberg-Strasse 8, 9000, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Stephan Aier

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

De Marco, M., Fiocca, R., Ricciardi, F. (2010). The Ecology of Learning-by-Building: Bridging Design Science and Natural History of Knowledge. In: Winter, R., Zhao, J.L., Aier, S. (eds) Global Perspectives on Design Science Research. DESRIST 2010. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 6105. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13335-0_11

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13335-0_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-13334-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-13335-0

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation