The Design Theory Nexus 1 2

14 15 Managers frequently face ill-structured or “wicked” prob16 lems. Such problems are characterized by a large degree of 17 uncertainty with respect to how the problem should be 18 approached and how to establish and evaluate the set of 19 alternative solutions. A design theory nexus is a set of 20 constructs and methods that enable the construction of models 21 that connect numerous design theories with alternative solu22 tions. It thereby offers a unique problem-solving approach 23 that is particularly useful for addressing ill-structured or 24 wicked problems. For each alternative solution in a design 25 theory nexus one or more unique criteria are established to 26 formulate a specific design theory. We develop a general 27 method for constructing a design theory nexus and illustrate 28 its utility using two field studies. One develops and applies 29 an organizational change nexus. The other develops and 30 applies a user involvement nexus. Each is a specific instan31 tiation of the general design theory nexus constructs. Using 32 Veda Storey was the accepting senior editor for this paper. 33 these illustrations, we provide examples of how to evaluate such instantiations. We then discuss our findings as well as the validity of our approach. We conclude that the design theory nexus provides a viable conceptualization that enables the construction of effective problem-solving artifacts.