Applying Donald A. Schön’s Framework of Knowing-in-Action and Reflection-in-Action: Towards an Understanding of How Information Systems Professionals Think in Action

Allen S. Lee
Professor Emeritus, Virginia Commonwealth University
Honorary Professor, University of Sydney

Abstract:

The information systems (IS) discipline emphasizes not only the rigor with which its research is to be conducted, but also the relevance that its research must have for practitioners. Yet, how can the IS discipline be producing and prescribing research for practitioners to put into action when the discipline itself has not first diagnosed how IS practitioners think in action? An understanding of how IS professionals think in action is outright necessary to the efforts of the IS discipline to produce relevant research. Donald A. Schön’s (1983, 1987) framework of knowing-in-action and reflection-in-action provides a foundation for developing such an understanding. The seminar will cover Schön’s framework for how professionals think in action, the historical context within which Schön places his framework, and the ramifications of Schön’s framework for conducting IS research relevant to IS professionals. The seminar will also cover the reactions of MIS Quarterly’s reviewers to this research.

Biography:

Allen S. Lee is professor emeritus of information systems at Virginia Commonwealth University. He served as editor-in-chief of MIS Quarterly and as a founding senior editor of MIS Quarterly Executive. His research program has involved showing not only how qualitative research can be done rigorously and scientifically, but also how quantitative research equally needs to live up to the requirements of science. He is a Fellow of the Association for Information Systems, a LEO Award recipient, and a member of the Circle of Compadres of the Information Systems Doctoral Students Association of the KPMG Ph.D. Project.