Grounded theory method in information systems research: its nature, diversity and opportunities

This article introduces this special issue by exploring the nature and diversity of the Grounded Theory Method (GTM) and the opportunities associated with its use in Information Systems (IS) research. As guest editors for this special issue and as practicing grounded theorists, we feel that the nature of GTM is often misunderstood and its label abused in different ways. Therefore, in this editorial article, we attempt to clarify what we see as the essential characteristics of GTM. We also present some issues that are commonly discussed among grounded theorists, but which are less well known publicly. We argue that GTM can be a powerful tool for IS scholars interested in theory development, allowing researchers to conduct pioneering research with both flexibility and rigour. This argument is illustrated by the seven papers that we have selected for this special issue. These papers represent the wide variety of ways in which GTM can be used in our field. Further, they show how, through innovative uses of GTM, IS researchers can address some long-standing research challenges.

[1]  Ning Su,et al.  Global Multisourcing Strategy: The Emergence of a Supplier Portfolio in Services Offshoring , 2008, Decis. Sci..

[2]  N. Malhotra,et al.  Marketing Research: An Applied Approach , 2000 .

[3]  A. Strauss,et al.  The discovery of grounded theory: strategies for qualitative research aldine de gruyter , 1968 .

[4]  J. Morse.  Interpreting qualitative data: Methods for analysing talk, text and interaction , 1996 .

[5]  A. Strauss,et al.  Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. , 1992 .

[6]  K. Eisenhardt.  Building theories from case study research , 1989, STUDI ORGANIZZATIVI.

[7]  B. Glaser.  Doing grounded theory : issues and discussions , 1998 .

[8]  Wanda J. Orlikowski,et al.  CASE Tools as Organizational Change: Investigating Incremental and Radical Changes in Systems Development , 1993, MIS Q..

[9]  Alex Stewart,et al.  The ethnographer's method , 1998 .

[10]  R. Suddaby.  From the Editors: What Grounded Theory is Not , 2006 .

[11]  Richard T. Watson,et al.  Analyzing the Past to Prepare for the Future: Writing a Literature Review , 2002, MIS Q..

[12]  Anselm L. Strauss,et al.  Basics of qualitative research : techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory , 1998 .

[13]  E. Brink,et al.  Constructing grounded theory : A practical guide through qualitative analysis , 2006 .

[14]  Sébastien George,et al.  A closer look at tracking human and computer interactions in web-based communications , 2008, Interact. Technol. Smart Educ..

[15]  Jeanne W. Ross,et al.  From the Vendor's Perspective: Exploring the Value Proposition in Information Technology Outsourcing 1, 2 , 2003 .

[16]  B. Glaser.  Theoretical Sensitivity: Advances in the Methodology of Grounded Theory , 1978 .

[17]  Cathy Urquhart,et al.  Grounded Theory Method: The Researcher as Blank Slate and Other Myths , 2006, ICIS.

[18]  Robert Jones,et al.  Grounded theory and management research: a lack of integrity? , 2007 .

[19]  Anne Sigismund Huff,et al.  Review: Handbook for Organization Studies, editedby Stewart R. Clegg, Cynthia Hardy, and Walter R. Nord.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1996 , 1998 .

[20]  Kevin Crowston,et al.  ICIS 2007 Proceedings , 2007 .

[21]  C. Urquhart.  An encounter with grounded theory: tackling the practical and philosophical issues , 2001 .

[22]  Stuart Dillon,et al.  Focus and Diversity in Information Systems Research: Meeting the Dual Demands of a Healthy Applied Discipline , 2010, MIS Q..

[23]  Anselm L. Strauss,et al.  Qualitative Analysis For Social Scientists , 1987 .

[24]  Robert V. Kozinets,et al.  Click to Connect: Netnography and Tribal Advertising , 2006, Journal of Advertising Research.

[25]  George Allan,et al.  The Use of the Grounded Theory Methodology in Investigating Practitioners' Integration of COTS Components in Information Systems , 2007, ICIS.