Qualitative Research in Information Systems: Time to be Subjective?

Abstract

The starting point of a researcher's methodological choice within information systems is not so much a problem of how many methods we employ or if those are of a quantitative or a qualitative nature, but the ability to identify the philosophical and theoretical assumptions which leads to the choice of the appropriate methodology. In practice, despite the recognition of the virtues and the role of qualitative methods in information systems research, explicit institutional barriers and implicit functionalistic assumptions within the field have prevented much progress in their application. There is the danger in not recognizing the resulting side-effect where researchers use qualitative methods in a quantitative manner and pass it A. S. Lee et al. (eds.), Information Systems and Qualitative Research © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 1997 Qualitative Research in Information Systems off as qualitative research. Using qualitative methods implies allowing and acknowledging the subjectivity of the research process, which should be looked upon as a strength rather than as a weakness.