Start Date
12-13-2015
Description
The information systems (IS) research community continues to raise questions about the characteristics and role of theory in IS. Some suggest the preeminence and misplaced emphasis on theory distorts and limits IS research, while others suggest the manner in which theory is borrowed and adapted impedes creative and innovative theorizing. This essay describes an established mode of theorizing that produces middle-range theories, abstract enough to allow for generalizations and useful conclusions, but close enough to observed data to be empirically validated. Theorizing in this manner holds the potential to produce novel and exciting theories, far removed from the formulaic, endless rearrangement of variables that are typically derived from grand theories. After elaborating on the differences between grand theories and middle-range theories, this essay suggests several guidelines on how to build middle-range theories.
Recommended Citation
Hassan, Nik and Lowry, Paul, "Seeking Middle-Range Theories in Information Systems Research" (2015). ICIS 2015 Proceedings. 1.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2015/proceedings/IStheory/1
Seeking Middle-Range Theories in Information Systems Research
The information systems (IS) research community continues to raise questions about the characteristics and role of theory in IS. Some suggest the preeminence and misplaced emphasis on theory distorts and limits IS research, while others suggest the manner in which theory is borrowed and adapted impedes creative and innovative theorizing. This essay describes an established mode of theorizing that produces middle-range theories, abstract enough to allow for generalizations and useful conclusions, but close enough to observed data to be empirically validated. Theorizing in this manner holds the potential to produce novel and exciting theories, far removed from the formulaic, endless rearrangement of variables that are typically derived from grand theories. After elaborating on the differences between grand theories and middle-range theories, this essay suggests several guidelines on how to build middle-range theories.