Practice-as-research : an example of the use of action research to link practice and theory in a case of information systems strategy development

Abstract

The ability to link IS practice to a sound theoretical and scientific basis has been an ongoing endeavour for both IS practitioners and researchers. This stems from the need of both practitioners and theorists to be able to ensure that the relationship between practical knowledge and experience gained in the workplace can be grounded in theory with due consideration of the converse requirement for theory to be based on practice. This paper provides an example of how Action Research (AR) was successfully applied by a practitioner as method in a South African strategic IS management environment. The paper describes the specifics of the process that was used and highlights various issues that had to be considered in this specific instance of use of AR as method.