Reflections On Information Systems, Qualitative Research And Business Intelligence

Abstract

For my keynote address I have been asked to reflect on my academic career in information systems, highlight my research, in particular using qualitative approaches (such as action research, hermeneutics, conversation analysis and case study) to address information systems issues, especially information systems development. I then relate this to the important topic of the conference, that of business intelligence and the knowledge economy. For me, the third of these is much more difficult because on that topic ‘the tables are turned’ – you the audience are the experts, not me. Nevertheless I will try to illustrate in that third part how qualitative approaches to researching business intelligence (that is, your research now and in the future) might well make a significant contribution to information systems research and practice. I have entitled my talk ‘Reflections on Information Systems, Qualitative Research and Business Intelligence’ because I hope that lessons that I learnt in my career might also be relevant to yours though it does mean that my talk is rather egocentric and I apologize in advance for that. However, for each of my lessons and reflections, I suggest how they might apply to you. You are, of course, entitled to say things like ‘that does not apply in my university or my situation’ but I hope my reflections on my life in academia do have some resonance for you. I hope also that when you are listening to the presentations at the conference to come, you ask yourselves: ‘what is the contribution of the research?’, ‘why did the researcher choose the particular qualitative or quantitative method used?’ and ‘what might have been gained (and lost) if the research had been done following a different approach