[AISWorld] A small revolution in the IS field

[Dalal, Nik]

"I've spent two decades arguing that the presumption that data,
information, knowledge and wisdom can be mapped onto a single
dimension is dangerously wrong."


Good point Š which is also made in our paper. But one needs to start
someplace. And the knowledge pyramid is as good as any starting point
because everyone in IS is familiar with it.

Cheers!

-nik

On 1/3/13 9:16 PM, "Roger Clarke" <Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au> wrote:

>At 2:38 +0000 4/1/13, Dalal, Nik wrote:
>>"Wisdom sits atop the knowledge pyramid ..."
>
>I've spent two decades arguing that the presumption that data,
>information, knowledge and wisdom can be mapped onto a single
>dimension is dangerously wrong.
>
>Details here:
>http://www.rogerclarke.com/SOS/ISFundas.html
>http://www.rogerclarke.com/SOS/Know.html
>
>Summary of useful working defintions:
>
>'Data' is any symbol, sign or measure which is in a form which can be
>directly captured by a person or a machine.
>
>'Real-world data' is data which represents or purports to represent a
>fact in the real world; whereas 'synthetic data' is data which does
>not.
>
>'Information' is data that has value. Informational value depends
>upon context. Until it is placed in an appropriate context, data is
>not information, and once it ceases to be in that context it ceases
>to be information.
>
>'Knowledge' is the matrix of impressions within which an individual
>situates newly acquired information.
>
>'Wisdom' is on an entirely different plane from data, from
>information and from knowledge, because it has to do with judgement
>exercised by applying decision criteria to knowledge combined with
>new information.
>
>_______________________________________________________________________
>
>At 2:38 +0000 4/1/13, Dalal, Nik wrote:
>>Thanks Nik H. for the wisdom in your posting and to all others for
>>raising key questions and issues relating to the broader and deeper
>>impact of IS research. In terms of foci of IS research that can have
>>a significant impact in the world,  can we look at "wisdom", which
>>is emerging as an academic area of research? For the next AMCIS, Jan
>>Kroeze and I have a mini track on transdisciplinary wisdom for which
>>we invite your contributions. As I state in the abstract of a paper
>>on this topic,  "Wisdom sits atop the knowledge pyramid in the
>>Information Systems (IS) literature. Yet there has been little
>>research on wisdom in the IS field despite the need to transform
>>knowledge to wisdom. Perhaps there is no other subject central to
>>human existence whose exploration holds so much promise as wisdom to
>>help address myriad crises affecting the worldS We believe that the
>>IS discipline with its interdisciplinary focus on the relationships
>>between information technologies and diverse individual,
>>organizational, and societal issues including knowledge management
>>and decision support systems is well positioned for wisdom computing
>>research." Contributions to wisdom research in IS can be in terms of
>>theories applied from various disciplines (including IS itself) to
>>build tools and techniques for individual, organizational and
>>societal uses. For example, a colleague and I have recently begun a
>>study to understand "dialogue" and how technologies can facilitate
>>meaningful dialogue (beyond conversation, discussion, and
>>decision-making) among diverse groups of people on key questions in
>>a domain. In fact,  I know I'll be interested to explore potentially
>>collaborating with anyone working on a wisdom topic in IS.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Nik D.
>
>Reference: Nikunj Dalal, "Wisdom Computing: Toward a Framework for
>Wisdom Research in Information Systems" (July 29, 2012). AMCIS 2012
>Proceedings. Paper 14.
><http://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2012/proceedings/PerspectivesIS/14>http://ai
>sel.aisnet.org/amcis2012/proceedings/PerspectivesIS/14
>
>Nik Dalal, Ph.D.
>
>Professor of Management Science and Information Systems
>
>Oklahoma State University
>
>Stillwater, OK 74078
>
>
>
><mailto:nik at okstate.edu>nik at okstate.edu
>
>(405) 744- 8618
>
>
>
>From: John Artz <<mailto:jartz at gwu.edu>jartz at gwu.edu>
>Reply-To: <<mailto:jartz at gwu.edu>jartz at gwu.edu>
>Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2013 16:34:45 -0500
>To: Ilia Bider <<mailto:ilia at ibissoft.se>ilia at ibissoft.se>
>Cc: <<mailto:aisworld at lists.aisnet.org>aisworld at lists.aisnet.org>
>Subject: Re: [AISWorld] A small revolution in the IS field
>
>
>Dear Colleagues,
>
>I would point out that physics was around for 2,000 years,
>fromAristotle to Newton, before it began to produce really impressive
>results. If we are willing to wait for another 2,000 years for the
>research in Information Systems to eventually lead to something, I am
>confident that the field willproduce some really impressive results
>as well. However, if we do not wish to wait that long we might ask
>what we can do to speed things up a bit.
>
>We can just keep stumbling around and eventually enough research will
>accumulate for a pattern to appear which will make sense out of what
>we are doing. I have every confidence that this will eventually
>happen and I have every confidence that by the time it does, we (and
>several subsequent generations) will all be long past the point of
>caring.
>
>I would like to offer a few fairly simple questions, the answers to
>which would greatly speed up progress in the field.
>
>What are the constituents of the field? That is, what is the field
>about? What are we studying?
>
>For that matter, what is an information system? (The text book
>definition is almost worthless for research purposes)
>
>What would we like to know about the constituents of the field?
>
>How are we likely to find out the things we would like to know?
>
>These are largely philosophical questions. And instead of asking if
>philosophy is relevant to IS, as is a current mantra, we should be
>asking if the field is going to make any reasonable progress in any
>reasonable amount of time if the philosophers of IS don't get busy
>and try to answer them.
>
>Just a few thought,
>
>
>
>John
>
>
>
>On Thu, Jan 3, 2013 at 11:17 AM, Ilia Bider
><<mailto:ilia at ibissoft.se>ilia at ibissoft.se> wrote:
>
>Hi Nick,
>
>Thanks for posting your reflections. It was fascinating to observer
>the unfolding discussions.
>Realizing that one created a monster by one's own will is the first
>step on the way of cutting off its heads.
>
>On 2012-12-30 20:32, Nik R Hassan wrote:
>
>A small revolution in the IS field
>
>As we approach the end of yet another year in the history of the IS
>field, I'd like to say how glad I was to have attended ICIS this
>year. It may just be me, but I think I just witnessed a small
>revolution taking place (at least in North America) in the field. I
>heard IS scholars making unconventional remarks I have not heard
>before. I enclose some quotes, and what went through my mind in
>parenthesis [I am just reporting - please don't shoot the messenger
>:-) ].
>
>[Varun*] "We can do very good research, but that doesn't mean we are
>producing good knowledge S can we create 'better' knowledge?S
>exciting, innovative and addressing important questions of our time"
>
>(whaS [my jaw dropping] did Varun just say what I thought he said??
>He's admitting we're not producing good knowledge?)
>
>[Varun] "are we scripting the way we do research....requiring us to
>select a theory and apply it to our phenomena, create a mid-level
>model and then refine it ... add mediators and moderators to it S
>Does this script work for good knowledge?"
>
>(Wow S I kinda think everyone knew that was the game, the standard
>publishing script, and I was taught exactly that in school, but to
>hear a scholar say it in public and analyze it S cool!)
>
>[Bernard**] "I've been looking back at all the work that I've doneS I
>don't think I've done enough ... We really should be doing research
>to resolve significant global problems...
>
>(if Bernard feels he hasn't contributed much, how much have the rest
>of us done?)
>
>[Bernard] ... at NUS, we've put together an inter-disciplinary team
>and received a big grant using social media to reduce pests ... and
>increase food production ... Let's not be too fixated about whether
>MISQ or ISR would publish such research ... let's target our work at
>Nature or Science .... to earn the respect of others outside our
>community
>
>(that's easy for him to say, he's already published tons in MISQ and
>ISR. But isn't there something wrong with the picture? Isn't research
>that's frequently published in the top journals of the field that's
>supposed to make their way to journals like Science and Nature? What
>does that say about our "normal" research?)
>
>[Manju**]  "After we have had the satisfaction of publishing in MISQ
>or ISR, and at least after making tenure and Full, it is time to
>start thinking about researching big ideas that make a difference "
>
>(Publishing 2-3 papers in MISQ and ISR, and getting full professor is
>going to take at least 10-20 years out of the most productive years
>of anyone's life, if they're fortunate enough to get there. Shouldn't
>those most productive years already be spent in researching big
>ideas? Shouldn't big ideas be some part of getting a full
>professorship in IS?)
>
>[Steven Alter in a follow up email]
>Our ICIS panel "DSR S remind me again about whether it is a new
>research paradigm or a rationale of last resort S" chaired by Allen
>Lee, with Steven Alter, Helmut Krcmar, and Mike Chiasson S remarks
>similar to Varun S that DSR is increasingly governed by a script that
>makes papers easier to review but S becoming an obstacle to genuine
>innovation S script encourages DSR researchers to do design-related
>work in a way in which few if any designers actually design things in
>the real world, which is especially unfortunate for a type of
>research that is called design SCIENCE research."
>
>All of these remarks are making me rethink about the notion of
>"value" in our work (not to be confused with "usefulness" or
>"utility"). It's close to "relevance" but since relevance has so much
>baggage attached to it, perhaps we should be taking a closer look at
>what valuable research really means.
>
>What kind of IS research is valuable anyway?
>
>
>Nik Rushdi Hassan
>Univ of Minnesota Duluth
>Chair SIG Philosophy
>
>*Varun Grover and Kalle Lyytinen presented at the SIG Philosophy
>Workshop at ICIS on "IS Theory-State of the Art" - available soon on
>the SIG Philosophy homepage
>
>**Bernard Tan and Manju Ahuja presented at the Senior Scholars Panel
>at ICIS 2012 chaired by Fred Niederman
>
>
>--
>Nik R. Hassan, PhD
>Assoc. Professor, Finance & MIS Dept.
>Labovitz School of Business and Economics
>University of Minnesota Duluth
>1318 Kirby Drive, LSBE 335Q
>Duluth MN 55812
>Office Phone: <tel:%28218%29%20726-7453> (218) 726-7453
>Fax: <tel:%28218%29%20726-7516>(218) 726-7516
>Home Page: <http://www.d.umn.edu/%7Enhassan>www.d.umn.edu/~nhassan
>LinkedIn <http://www.linkedin.com/pub/nik-rushdi-hassan/33/591/a9b>
>http://www.linkedin.com/pub/nik-rushdi-hassan/33/591/a9b
>Email: <mailto:nhassan at d.umn.edu>nhassan at d.umn.edu
>
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>
>--
>===============================================
>Dr. Ilia Bider 
>Process- och systemutvecklingskonsult at <http://ibissoft.se>ibissoft.se
>Lektor & Forskare at
><http://DSV.su.se>DSV.su.se<mailto:ilia at ibissoft.se>ilia at ibissoft.se
>  
><tel:%2B46%20%280%298%20164998>+46 (0)8 164998
>Creating an agile eneterprise  <http://t.co/5nJdNBev>http://t.co/5nJdNBev
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>
>--
>John M. Artz, PhD
>Webpages: <http://home.gwu.edu/%7Ejartz>http://home.gwu.edu/~jartz
>Email: <mailto:jartz at gwu.edu>jartz at gwu.edu
>
>Men are not influenced by things but by their thoughts about things
>-Epictetus
>
>*********************************************************
>*  The geometry of innocent flesh on the bone
>*  Causes Galileo's math book to get thrown
>*  At Delilah who's sitting worthlessly alone
>*  But the tears on her cheeks are from laughter.
>**********************************************************
>This delightful piece of post modern poetry is from
>Tombstone Blues by Bob Dylan (Highway 61 Revisited)
>
><http://www.bestmotivationalposters.com/images/curiosity-funny-motivationa
>l-poster.jpg>
>
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>-- 
>Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/
>                  
>Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
>                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
>mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/
>
>Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law               University of NSW
>Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University
>
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