Connecting Industry: Building and Sustaining a Practice-based Research Community

Abstract

In this paper, we give a narrative account of the building and sustaining of a multi-organization practice-based research community (IndustryConnect). We begin with an examination of the motivations and theoretical foundations for the initiative, which brings together researchers and practitioners to investigate the design of the digital workplace and the use of enterprise collaboration systems. We discuss the arrangements, structures and research methods used and the challenges and rewards of practice-based research. These include: aligning stakeholder interests, serving both theoretical and practical outcomes and the role of research training and mentoring in the process of community building.