Abstract
Two research strategies that have received increasing scholarly attention recently in IS are design science research (DSR) and the grounded theory method (GTM). In this paper, we conduct a systematic comparison of the most salient characteristics of both research strategies to identify the differences as well as possible complementary uses in a pluralistic research design. We find opportunities for future researchers to combine the two strategies to leverage the advantages of both. DSR focuses on the construction of an IT artifact and the solution of a local problem while GTM enables researchers to develop grounded substantive theory and make a contribution to the knowledge base. The goals of solving a real-world problem to achieve practical relevance and developing a theoretical contribution to achieve scientific rigor can be combined. To avoid possible pitfalls, researchers combining DSR and GTM into a pluralistic research design must take great care in combining the different research strategies in a way that is consistent with the characteristics of each single strategy which are presented in this paper.
Recommended Citation
Gregory, Robert, "Design Science Research and the Grounded Theory Method: Characteristics, Differences, and Complementary Uses" (2010). ECIS 2010 Proceedings. 44.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2010/44