Exploring the CIMO-Logic in the Design of Collaborative Networks Mediated by Digital Platforms

Abstract

Collaborative networks (CNs) of organizations are nowadays complex and intertwined compositions of technological, cognitive and social artifacts. The design of such compositions should be addressed as a socio-technical endeavor as a way to maximize the success probability. In despite of intensive research in this community, much has to be explored to achieve sound contributions to a design theory of CNs. In this paper, we make use of the context-interventionmechanism-outcome logic (CIMO-logic) as a way to improve the design propositions component of a CN design theory. Variations of the concept of "mechanism" are explored with the goal of making clearer the socio-technical perspective in the design propositions. This theoretical exploration is illustrated with a case of transforming an industrial business association (IBA) in a digital collaborative network.

Exploring innovation system dynamics: event history analysis of the evolution of the South African additive manufacturing industry

“…Therefore, causal loop diagrams were developed to visualize the sequence in which the functions were performed. If the event sequence repeated and led to development within the case, a motor of innovation was identified (Costa et al , 2018; Pawson and Tilley, 2001). To identify actors and IS functions that supported the industry’s development, the motors of innovation, the functional time graphs and actor give-and-receive graphs were used to apply the component–function analysis approach to the narrative periods.…”

“…Outcomes are the deliverables of the interventions and mechanisms (Costa et al , 2018; Pawson and Tilley, 2001). To view the various influences of the mechanisms on the outputs, the outputs were identified in terms of the physical outputs that were developed and the capital outcomes delivered.…”

“…This method presents the EHA method with an inclusion of the CIMO-logic structure into the data summary and pattern identification steps of the EHA method, as well as the literature on the development capitals (Botha et al , 2019). From the realist evaluation paradigm, the CIMO-logic structure presents a heuristic to guide and structure IS analysis (Costa et al , 2018). The CIMO-logic structure is built on the foundation that certain intervention types will develop within a problematic context into mechanisms that deliver specific outcomes (Costa et al , 2018).…”

“…From the realist evaluation paradigm, the CIMO-logic structure presents a heuristic to guide and structure IS analysis (Costa et al , 2018). The CIMO-logic structure is built on the foundation that certain intervention types will develop within a problematic context into mechanisms that deliver specific outcomes (Costa et al , 2018). The CIMO-logic structure, thus, supports the identification of “what works for whom, in which circumstance, and to what extent?” in evaluation studies.…”

Together telling: reconciling information equivocality in crisis response

“…view design proposition or design logic as offering 'a general template for the creation of solutions for a particular class of field problems' (p. 395). They claim that design proposition is not as a complete solution for any given business problem, but an input to the designing of the specific solution.To help in the development of more rigorous design propositions Denyer et al (2008) provided a practical framework, called CIMO-logic, formulated with the goal of informing practice about how interventions (I) work in different contexts (C), and increasing understanding of the generative mechanism (M)through which certain outcomes (O) emerge(Tanskanen et al, 2017).According toCosta et al (2018), 'design principles that are formulated according to CIMO-logic indicate what to do, in which situations, to produce what effect, and offer understanding of why this happens' (p. 3).…”