Generating impactful situated explanations through digital trace data

Grisold, Thomas ; Kremser, Waldemar; Mendling, Jan ; Recker, Jan ; Vom Brocke, Jan and Wurm, Bastian (2024): Generating impactful situated explanations through digital trace data. In: Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 39, No. 1: pp. 2-18

Abstract

Progressively, information systems (IS) researchers draw on digital trace data to capture the emergent dynamics of today’s digitalized world. Digital trace data enable researchers to generate highly context-specific insightsinto the features and dynamics of socio-technical phenomena. We suggest how IS researchers can use digital trace data to develop situated explanations, that is, explanations that capture the idiosyncratic features of real-world problems in order to generate impactful solutions to these problems. We outline five key principles to build situated explanations based on digital trace data. We make several suggestions on how the information system field can adjust its research and publication practices to embrace the development and dissemination of situated explanations.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Keywords: Trends in information systems/IT; practical impact; digital trace data; information systems theory; big data; situated explanation
• Faculties: Munich School of Management > Institute for Digital Management and New Media; Munich School of Management > Institute for Digital Management and New Media > Process and Algorithmic Management
• Subjects: 300 Social sciences > 330 Economics
• ISSN: 0268-3962
• Language: English