Narrowing the Theory’s or Study’s Scope May Increase Practical Relevance

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dc.contributor.authorSiponen, Mikko
dc.contributor.authorKlaavuniemi, Tuula
dc.date.accessioned2019-01-03T00:47:25Z
dc.date.available2019-01-03T00:47:25Z
dc.date.issued2019-01-08
dc.description.abstractNumerous articles in top IS journals note as a limitation and lack of generalizability that their findings are specific to a certain type of technology, culture, and so on. We argue that this generalizability concern is about limited scope (e.g., explanatory breadth). The IS literature notes this preference for generalizability as a characteristic of good science and it is sometimes confused with statistical generalizability. We argue that such generalizability can be in conflict with explanation or prediction accuracy. An increase in scope (e.g., increasing explanatory breadth) can decrease explanation or prediction accuracy. Thus, in sciences such as cancer research, where explanation and prediction accuracy are highly valued, the cancer accounts (generally speaking) have become increasingly narrower (and less generalizable). IS thinking has not yet benefitted from these considerations. Whether generalizability is valued should be linked with the research aims. If the aim is practical applicability through explanation or prediction accuracy, then “limited” generalizability could be a strength rather than a weakness.
dc.format.extent10 pages
dc.identifier.doi10.24251/HICSS.2019.753
dc.identifier.isbn978-0-9981331-2-6
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10125/60060
dc.language.isoeng
dc.relation.ispartofProceedings of the 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectKnowing What We Know: Theory, Meta-analysis, and Review
dc.subjectOrganizational Systems and Technology
dc.subjectScope, generalisability, philosophy of science
dc.titleNarrowing the Theory’s or Study’s Scope May Increase Practical Relevance
dc.typeConference Paper
dc.type.dcmiText

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Knowing What We Know: Theory, Meta-analysis, and Review