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Cited by 300Qualitative Comparative Analysis ResearchInformation Systems Theories and ImplementationQualitative Research Methods and Applications

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 115 of the 120 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Theorizing the Multiplicity of Digital Phenomena: The Ecology of Configurations, Causal Recipes, and Guidelines for Applying QCA

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Park, YoungKi, Fiss, Peer C., El Sawy, Omar A.·2020·MIS Quarterly
DOI 10.25300/misq/2020/13879
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Abstract

Faced with the challenge of multifaceted digital phenomena, researchers in IS and related fields have increasingly adopted qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). However, in the absence of explicit guidelines for how to use QCA for theory development, the popularity and proliferation of QCA possibly amplifies the risk of using QCA in an atheoretical manner, hindering theoretical advancement. In this paper, we offer a conceptual framework and prescriptive guidelines for applying QCA to develop causal recipes that account for complex digital phenomena marked by theoretical and configurational multiplicity. Causal recipes are formal statements explaining how causally relevant elements combine into configurations associated with outcomes of interest. We describe these causal recipes in terms of which causes matter (i.e., factorial logic) and how these causes combine into configurations (i.e., combinatorial logic) to produce target outcomes, and propose an ecology of configurations that elucidates the explanatory power of multiple configurations as well as their explanatory overlap. Further, we offer two illustrative empirical examples to demonstrate the usefulness of our framework and step-by-step guidelines for applying QCA to deductive theory testing as well as inductive theory development on phenomena marked by multiplicity.

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Research works printed but not linked: 8

  1. du Preez, 2012, Half of ERP Projects Achieve Less Than Half of Projected Benefits, Computerworld
  2. Erkens, 2015, Strategy and Control: Findings from a Set Theoretical Analysis of High-Performance Manufacturing Firms
  3. Heisenberg, 1958, Physics and Philosophy: The Revolution in Modern Science
  4. Nunnally, 1978, Psychometric Theory
  5. Ragin, 1994, Constructing Social Research: The Unity and Diversity of Method
  6. Ragin, 2000, Fuzzy Set Social Science
  7. Ragin, 2008, Net Effects versus Configurations: An Empirical Demonstration, 190, 10.7208/chicago/9780226702797.001.0001 · DOI
  8. Schneider, 2012, Set-Theoretic Methods: A User’s Guide for Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Fuzzy Sets in Social Science

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Metadata

Authors
Park, Y., Fiss, P. C., & El Sawy, O. A.
Affiliations
  • George Washington University (US)
  • University of Southern California (US)
  • Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089 U.S.A.
Corresponding author
Fiss, Peer C.
Venue
MIS Quarterly
Publisher
MIS Quarterly
Published
2020-12-01
Volume
44
Issue
4
Pages
1493-1520
ISSN
  • 0276-7783 (ISSN-L)
  • 2162-9730
DOI
10.25300/misq/2020/13879
OpenAlex
W3112164615
Cited by
300
References
120
Citations by year
2026: 51 · 2025: 64 · 2024: 66 · 2023: 58 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 5
FWCI
39.80
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • MIS Quarterly (publishedVersion)
  • SSRN Electronic Journal (publishedVersion)
  • Journal of the Association for Information Systems (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Qualitative Comparative Analysis Research
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Management Information Systems › Information Systems Theories and Implementation
  • Social Sciences › Education › Qualitative Research Methods and Applications
Keywords
qualitative comparative analysis, theory development, combinational logic

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