Management as Design, but What Kind of Design? An Appraisal of the Design Science Analogy for Management

Abstract

The identity of management as a field of study is frequently challenged on the basis of its relevance to practice. This paper engages with the concept of a design science as it is considered to offer some answers to this enduring debate. The paper goes on to conclude, rather sceptically, that design science may not offer such a distinct perspective on management as a field of study. Our scepticism is based on the design science scholars' rather arbitrary use of Simon's intellectual legacy, particularly the superficial differentiation between explanatory‐based and prescriptive‐based social sciences, and the promises such a comparison holds for prescriptive outcomes in management. The paper contributes to the design science debate in management by identifying three different types of design, each based on different ways artefacts emerge. These identified differences have profound consequences for understanding design science as an explicitly organized and systematic approach to design. We conclude that later conceptualizations of design science do have a place, but offer only a particular perspective – one that is relevant for a narrow set of organizational phenomena. Finally, we argue that the design analogy is an important one in the current debate about the nature of management studies if it highlights the creation of novelty and disruption of stability. It also offers a way of thinking about the exposition of uncertainty, in contrast to highlighting rules and principles that offer a prescriptive promise to guide the design of social artefacts.

Not Simply Returning to the Same Answer Over and Over Again: Reframing Relevance

“…This argument is likely to become more central as public funding bodies are tasked to justify their investments and management research wrestles with the challenge of impact. Although we are sympathetic to the agenda of evidence-based management, echoing the observations of Panza and Thorpe (2010) in relation to design science we caution that researchers need to be mindful that not all management design problems and policy questions are of a form suitable for systematic review. There are many situations in which conventional literature reviews are more appropriate, enabling more creative insights and solutions to emerge, especially in cases where an insufficient body of evidence has accumulated that specifically addresses the problem at hand.…”

Design Science as Design of Social Systems – Implications for Information Systems Research

“…Like in IS, these fields developed DSR approaches (Romme 2003;van Aken 2004) and subsequently discussed and evaluated them (Pandza and Thorpe 2010). These approaches are for designing not information systems, but rather social systems, such as organizations.…”

A Distinctive Analysis of Case Study, Action Research and Design Science Research

“…Consequently, relevant studies are scarce in fields in which they would be fundamental, such as management (Hughes, Bence, Grisoni, O'Regan, & Wornham 2011;Kasanen, Lukka, & Siitonen, 1993;Romme, 2003;Singhal, Sodhi, & Tang, 2014;Van Aken, 2011). In this sense, the discussion regarding rigor and relevance has been the subject of important reflections on research in management (Burgoyne e James, 2006;Manson, 2006;Pandza & Thorpe, 2010;Starkey, Hatchuel, & Tempest, 2009;Starkey & Madan, 2001;Tranfield & Starkey, 1998;Van Aken, 2004, 2005.…”

“…First, relevance can help differentiate studies in management from studies focused exclusively on the social field (Pandza & Thorpe, 2010). Second, for a survey to be considered successful in operations management, for example, there must be a practical contribution to the study field and this research should also be accessed by the interested community (Manson, 2006).…”

“…Based on this statement, the debate about design science begins. It is a science that seeks to design and prescribe solutions to real problems, actions that traditional science is not capable of addressing (Denyer et al, 2008;Pandza;Thorpe, 2010;Simon, 1996). Because it presents such prescribing features and design, Design Science encompasses fields such as medicine, engineering and management (Denyer et al, 2008;Simon, 1996).…”