Towards mindful case study research in IS: a critical analysis of the past ten years

Abstract

Case study research (CSR) has gained strong acceptance in information systems (IS) research in the recent decades. This article examines how CSR has been used in IS research practice. Contrasting the currently used CSR approaches to methodological prescriptions can lead to recommendations for researchers applying this research strategy as well as to advances in the methodological literature. Our study design comprises two steps. First, we identified case studies published in six major IS journals from 2001 to 2010. Second, we critically examined CSR practices in the identified studies. We observed a dualism, as CSR currently consists of a positivist and an equally strong interpretive research stream. Case studies with other philosophical underpinnings were rarely found. We describe the CSR practice and contrast it to the methodological prescriptions. Thereby, we clearly point out the shortcomings, aiming to initiate a debate on how our community should further develop its use of CSR to become more mindful. This study is the first broad examination of CSR in IS (focusing on more than just the positivist research stream) and thus contributes to the methodological literature by providing recommendations for improvements.

Keywords:

• case study research
• critical analysis
• information systems
• mindfulness

Supplementary Information accompanies this paper on the European Journal of Information Systems website (http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ejis)

Supplementary Information accompanies this paper on the European Journal of Information Systems website (http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ejis)

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marcus Keutel

About the Authors

Marcus Keutel received a Ph.D. in Information Systems in 2012 from the University of Cologne, Germany, where he worked as a research and teaching assistant. In addition to case study research, his research focus is on coping with requirements uncertainty in software development projects. Marcus teaches case study courses for Ph.D. students. Recently, Marcus has been working with a consultancy company, focusing on business technology topics.

Bjoern Michalik

Bjoern Michalik is a Ph.D. candidate in Information Systems and teaching assistant at the University of Cologne, Germany. His research interests include the methodology of case study research and coping with requirements uncertainty in software development projects. Bjoern is giving lectures on project management and requirements engineering. He holds a master’s degree in Information Systems since 2009 and intensively applies CSR in his own research.

Janek Richter

Janek Richter is a Ph.D. candidate in Information Systems and teaching assistant at the University of Cologne, Germany. His research interests include service-oriented architectures and how they influence organisational agility. Furthermore, he is interested in IS philosophy. He studied at the University of Cologne and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, India and received a master’s degree in Information Systems in 2011.