Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Information Systems Research: A Case Study1

Abstract

This article reports how quantitative and qualitative methods were combined in a longitudinal multidisciplinary study of interrelationships between perceptions of work and a computer information system. The article describes the problems and contributions stemming from different research perspectives and methodological approaches. It illustrates four methodological points: (1) the value of combining qualitative and quantitative methods; (2) the need for context-specific measures of job characteristics rather than exclusive reliance on standard context-independent instruments; (3) the importance of process measures when evaluating information systems; and (4) the need to explore the necessary relationships between a computer system and the perceptions of its users, rather than unidirectional assessment of computer system impacts on users or of users characteristics on computer system implementation. Despite the normative nature of these points, the most important conclusion is the desirability for a variety of approaches to studying information systems. No one approach to information systems research can provide the richness that information systems, as a discipline, needs for further advancement.