​We call on journal editors to embrace design science (DS) as a core methodology in management and organization research. Rooted in Herbert Simon’s "The Sciences of the Artificial", DS enables scholars to create actionable tools and solutions while advancing theory. It bridges the rigor-relevance gap by focusing on real-world impact.
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Despite its success in fields like information systems and operations management, DS remains underrepresented in mainstream management journals. We urge editors to open clear pathways for DS work, such as appointing dedicated editors.
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By supporting DS, journals can foster research that not only explains the world but helps design better futures for organizations and society. We invite you to join us in building this momentum.
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Read the full Open Letter below and sign up via the button!
Dear Editors-in-Chief,
We are writing to you as scholars deeply committed to the advancement of management (incl. entrepreneurship, organization and innovation) research. Your journal plays a critical role in shaping the intellectual landscape of our field by curating and publishing research that is both rigorous and relevant. Via this letter, we call upon your leadership in embracing a generic methodology that effectively bridges the well-known rigor-relevance gap in our field: design science. More specifically, we recommend that your journal appoints a dedicated (e.g., senior, area, or associate) editor that handles submissions drawing on design science.
Inspired by Herbert Simon’s The Sciences of the Artificial, design science (DS) has been arising and thriving in architecture, information systems, engineering, and operations management. In the past two decades, DS has also been introduced in various management journals. In a recent editorial in ET&P, DS is defined as a problem-solving research strategy that facilitates the production of novel instrumental and normative knowledge for the design and implementation of actions, processes, and systems to achieve desired practical outcomes, that is, to create things that serve human purposes. Prominent artifacts generated by DS research include the Business Model Canvas, widely used today by scholars & practitioners in the field of strategy as well as entrepreneurship; and the theory, principles, and tools of effectuation, which are widely employed by entrepreneurs and startup-advisors, as well as scholars in the field of entrepreneurship and organization theory.
Notably, DS focuses on designing and testing tools and other solutions as well as prescriptive theorizing. As such, it complements the descriptive-explanatory theories and research methodologies prevailing in our field. But Simon (in JMS in 1967, p. 14) also acknowledged the tension between mainstream science and DS, which arises from the differences
“between science and art, between analysis and synthesis, between explanation and design. The goal of the pure scientist is to explain phenomena in nature: the laws of physics, of physiology, or of consumer behavior, as the case may be. The goal of the practitioner is to devise actions, or processes, or physical structures that work – that serve some specified purpose.”
Consequently, DS will only come fully alive if our top journals also embrace studies of how scholars themselves (co)create and test solutions as artifacts, especially those addressing the grand challenges of our time by envisioning and enacting desirable futures.
The widespread lack of awareness of DS prompted us to write and publish this open letter, through which we seek to initiate a broader dialogue about the legitimacy and promise of DS research, also building on various papers and editorials that provide guidelines for publishing DS work in journals such as MIS Quarterly, JMIS, JAIS, ET&P and Technovation. In doing so, we can capitalize on the more mature status of DS, as a mainstream research approach, in the field of information systems. The team of authors writing this letter therefore includes several scholars from the latter field, also to facilitate the transfer of expertise to management journals and their communities.
To help you to identify promising candidates for such editorial roles as well as DS scholars who could join your editorial board, we developed a list of scholars that support this letter. Moreover, we’d like to offer help in any other way you seem fit in exploring how DS scholarship can become a valued and promising source of submissions to your journal—by crafting guest editorials on DS & impactful research, developing special issue proposals in this area, and so forth.
Authors
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Signatories
Bugra Kilinc
ESCP Business School, Berlin
PhD Student
Szabolcs Szilárd Sebrek
Corvinus University of Budapest
Associate Professor
Jan Holmström
Aalto University
Professor of Operations Management
Stephen Zhang
Baylor University
Maness Chair in Entrepreneurship
Greg Fisher
Indiana University
Larry and Barbara Sharpf Professor of Entrepreneurship
Falk Uebernickel
Hasso Plattner Institute at the University of Potsdam
Professor
Stefano Za
University of Chieti-Pescara
Associate Professor
Raymond Opdenakker
Eindhoven University of Technology
Lecturer
Jaap Daalhuizen
Delft University of Technology
Associate Professor
Loubna Echajari
Université de Technologie de Troyes
Associate Professor
Elisa Alt
King's College London
Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship
Anol Bhattacherjee
University of South Florida
Professor of Information Systems & Exide Professor
Luca Iandoli
St. John's University
Dean, Collins College of Professional Studies
Annamina Rieder
Simon Fraser University
Assistant Professor
Mahendrawathi Er
Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember
Professor
Frithjof Wegener
Northumbria University
Assistant Professor
Yashar Mansoori
Chalmers University of Technology
Researcher
Hannes Rothe
University of Duisburg-Essen
Professor
Hao Zhong
ESCP Business School
Associate Professor
James Skinner
University of Newcastle
Dean of Business
Simon L. Schmidt
University of Göttingen
Postdoc
René Mauer
ESCP Business School
Professor for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Kai Kärkkäinen
Savonia University of Applied Sciences
Special Advisor
Bob Walrave
Eindhoven University of Technology
HoD, Associate Professor
Stephan Altmann
TH Mannheim
Professor of International Management
Peter Hayward Jones
Tecnológico de Monterrey
Distinguished Professor of Systemic Design
Georg Herzwurm
University Stuttgart
Professor
Erkko Autio
Imperial College London
Professor
Isabelle Reymen
Eindhoven University of Technology
Full Professor
Andreas Helferich
ISM - International School of Management
Professor of International & Digital Management
Matthias Söllner
University of Kassel
Director of the Research Center for IS Design (ITeG)
Fleur Deken
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Full Professor
Rong Ma
Copenhagen Business School
PhD Fellow
Gregor Kipping
University of Liechtenstein
Postdoctoral Researcher
Michael Lissack
Tongji
Professor of Design and Innovation
Marc Oberhauser
ESCP Business School
Associate Professor of International Business
Ufuk Gur
VU Amsterdam
Visiting Postdoctoral Researcher
Maikel Waardenburg
Utrecht University
Associate Professor
Dominik Siemon
LUT University
Assistant Professor
João Mateus Batista
UFRGS
Student Researcher
Benedikt Unger
Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
Adjunct Professor
KATHIANE BENEDETTI CORSO
Federal University of Pampa - UNIPAMPA
Associate Professor
Dr Prisca Valentino
Silpakorn University
Independent Management and Business Researcher
Basel Hammoda
Tallinn University of Technology (Taltech)
Lecturer
Marc Mataix Sanjuan
IQS-URL
Associate Professor
Gerhard Schwabe
University of Zürich
Professor
Runar J. Solberg
Norwegian University of Life Sciences
PhD Candidate and Research Associate
Aurélie Dudézert
Institut Mines Télécom Business School, Univ. Evry-Université Paris Saclay
Full Professor Information System Management
Alexa Böckel
Leuphana University
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Henk G. Sol
University of Groningen
Emeritus professor
Júlia Frantz Predabon
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
Master's Student
Jean-Henry Morin
University of Geneva
Associate professor
Jan Marco Leimeister
University of St Gallen
Director, Chair Professor
Frido Smulders
Delft University of Technology
Professor Entrepreneurial Innovation by Design
Alex Alblas
Eindhoven University of Technology
Associate Professor
Arvi Kuura
University of Tartu
Associate Professor (emeritus)
Kristina Sen
KU Leuven
PhD Researcher
Omar A El Sawy
USC Marshall School of Business
Chaired Professor
Tyrone Pitsis
University of York
Professor
Kristin Krebs
Bergische Universität Wuppertal
PhD Student
Daniel Pacheco Lacerda
Federal University of Santa Catarina
Associate Professor
Leandro Gauss
Unisinos
Assistant Professor
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Mikael Öhman
Hanken School of Economics
Assistant Professor
Josiane Brietzke Porto
Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos
Professor
Vincent Beermann
Hasso Plattner Institute, University of Potsdam Postdoctoral Researcher
Tuure Tuunanen
University of Jyväskylä
Professor
Samir Chatterjee
Claremont Graduate University
Professor & Fletcher Jones Chair
Henk Akkermans
Tilburg University
Full professor
Brian Donnellan
Maynooth University
Professor
Steven van Baarle
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Assistant Professor
Kalle Lyyy
Case Western Reserve University
Distinguished University Professor
Eva Van Baarle
Netherlands Defence Academie
Associate Professor
Brian Baldassarre
TU Delft
Assistant Professor
Leonhard Gebhardt
ICN Business School, CEREFIGE, University of Lorraine
Assistant Professor
Michael Werner
University of Amsterdam
Associate Professor of Accounting Information Systems
Konstantin Remke
EM Normandie Business School
Assistant Professor
Carolin Waldner
ESCP Business School
Assistant Professor
Orestis Terzidis
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Professor for Entrepreneurship
Timothy Hor
RMIT University
Assistant Professor
Bart Derre
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Professor
Camilla van den Boom
Eindhoven University of Technology
PhD Student
Fatma Aydin
Justus Liebig University of Giessen; Technical University of Applied Sciences Mannheim
PhD Student
Florian Lüdeke-Freund
ESCP Business School
Full Professor for Corporate Sustainability
Sönke Mestwerdt
The University of Manchester
Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship
Anselm Ohme
ESCP Business School
PhD Student
Dimitri Petrik
University of Stuttgart
Junior Research Group Leader
Sebastian Richter
DHBW Stuttgart
Professor
Franziska Günzel-Jensen
Aarhus University
Associate Professor
Shirley Gregor
Australian National University
Professor Emeritus
Paul C. van Fenema
NLDA
Professor
Tobias Gutmann
EBS University
Associate Professor of Technology and Innovation Management
Aline Dresch
Unisinos
Assistant Professor
Bayu Waspodo
Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta
Senior Lecturer
Lydie Smets
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High-tech innovation lead
Attabik Awan
Tilburg University
Post-doc Researcher
Alessandro Sancino
University of Milan
Full Professor in Strategy & Public Management
Michel van der Borgh
Copenhagen Business School
Professor
David Bendig
University of Münster
Full Professor
Rodrigo Frias
Durham University
PhD Researcher
Marcirio Silveira Chaves
Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS)
Associate Professor
Hasnain Zaheer
Macquarie University
Sessional Academic
Marcel Bogers
Eindhoven University of Technology
Professor of Open & Collaborative Innovation
Hanno Roberts
Norwegian Business School BI
Professor
Ntorina Antoni
Eindhoven University of Technology
Postdoctoral Researcher
Anastasija Nikiforova
University of Tartu
Associate Professor
Christin Eckerle
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
PostDoc
Arjan Markus
Eindhoven University of Technology
Assistant Professor
Jackson Nickerson
Saint Louis University
Dean
Christian Busse
Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg
Full Professor
Doan Thanh Phuong
Ho Chi Minh City University of Education
Lecturer
Kazem Haki
Geneva School of Business Administration
Associate Professor
Matteo Vignoli
University of Bologna
Associate Professor
Hanlie Smuts
University of Pretoria, South Africa
Professor
Charmine E. J. Härtel
Monash University
Professor & Director Opportunity Tech Lab
Katja Tschimmel
Porto University
Guest Professor
Michael Koddebusch
University of Münster
Assistant Professor
Steffen Paust
University of Southern Denmark
PhD Candidate
Antoine Harfouche
Univ Paris Nanrerre
Professor
Clarissa Carneiro Mussi
Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina/Brasil
Professor
Jens Lachenmaier
Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institut
Senior Research Fellow
Michel Avital
Copenhagen Business School
Professor
Philip Cash
Northumbria University
Professor
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Trenton Williams
Brigham Young University
Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship
Asif Gill
University of Technology Sydney
Professor & Head of Discipline
Axel Winkelmann
University of Wuerzburg
Professor
Robert Winter
University of St.Gallen
Full Professor
Yoram Reich
Tel Aviv University
Chaired Professor
Eswaran Subrahmanian
Carnegie Mellon University
Research Professor
Brigitte Borja de Mozota
Université Paris X Nanterre
Professor
Olga Viberg
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Associate Professor
Taewon Suh
Texas State University
Professor of Marketing
Giulia Calabretta
Delft University of Technology
Associate Professor
Gabriele Piccoli
Louisiana State University
Edward G. Schlieder Endowed Chair of Information Sciences
Randall Sie
Vrije Universteit, Amsterdam
(Executive) PhD Student
Koen van Turnhout
HU University of Applied Science
Professor
Pablo Munoz
Durham University
Professor of Entrepreneurship
Janina Sundermeier
Freie Universität Berlin / Digital Entrepreneurship Hub
Assistant Professor of Digital Entrepreneurship & Diversity
Katharina Hölzle
University of Stuttgart
Head of Institute for Human Factors and Technology Management
Guido Stompff
Inholland University of Applied Sciences
Professor of Applied Sciences
Bert Verhoeven
University of Newcastle Australia
Senior Lecturer and Director I&E Academy
Hessel Mittelmeijer
Eindhoven University of Technology
Robert Galavan
Maynooth University
Full Professor
Matti Rossi
Aalto University
Professor of Information Systems
Hanna Buyssens
KU Leuven
PhD Researcher
Akira Ito
Institute of Science Tokyo
PhD Student
Joachim Vandaele
ESCP Business School
PhD Student
Ruben Ogink
Technical University of Eindhoven
PhD student
Maya Townsend
Antioch University
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Lorenzo Matthias Burcheri
University of Luxembourg
Doctoral Researcher
Yiyu Liu
TU Eindhoven
PhD Student
Hugh Mason
University of Canberra
PhD Candidate
Arjen Wierikx
Utrecht University of Applied Sciences
PhD Candidate
Timo Strohmann
University of Münster
Assistant Professor
Nico Klenner
Australian National University
Assistant Professor
Rym Ibrahim
Jean Monnet University of Saint-Etienne
Associate Professor
Mehdi Bagherzadeh
NEOMA Business School
Professor of Innovation Management and Research Director
Fulvio Scognamiglio
London South Bank Unviersity
Lecturer
Rainer Harms
University Twente
Associate Professor
Oktay Turetken
Eindhoven University of Technology
Full Professor
Rosemary Francisco
Unisinos University
Professor
Ariel Behr
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
Associate Professor
Eva Bittner
University of Hamburg
Professor
Christopher Jr Galgo
Wageningen University and Research
PhD Candidate
Annemarie Bloch
University of Duisburg-Essen
Research Assistant
Mudassir Imran Mustafa
Uppsala University
Researcher
Hazbi Avdiji
University of Lausanne
External lecturer
Josue K. Watat
University of Oslo
Research Fellow
Matthew T Mullarkey
University of South Florida
Professor
Adrian Holzer
University of Neuchâtel
Professor of Information Systems
Roya Gholami
University of Illinois System
SIG Green President
Christine Legner
HEC, University of Lausanne
Professor of Information Systems
Bettina Maisch
Munich University of Applied Sciences
Professor for Entrepreneurship
Pieter Vandekerckhove
Delft University of Technology
Assistant Professor Patient Centered Healthcare Entrepreneurship
Dr. Jayashree Sapra
PES University, India
Professor
Dr. Lukas Fitz
Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg
-
Johannes Sedlmeir
University of Münster
Acting Professor
Kristina Heinonen
Hanken School of Economics
Professor
Nathalie S. Borgognon
University of Geneva
Lecturer - PhD student
Mihkel Känd
University of Tartu
Lecturer
Adam Widera
University of Münster
Postdoctoral Researcher