Principles for Knowledge Creation in Collaborative Design Science Research

Design Science Research (DSR) advances the scientific knowledge base while at the same time leading to research results of practical utility. Several guidelines for DSR have been proposed to support researchers in their work. Collaborative forms of DSR require that knowledge be created across the boundaries of the research community and the practitioners' community. Only little research, though, has been undertaken so far investigating the topic of knowledge creation in collaborative DSR settings. Answers to fundamental questions are still missing: What knowledge creation processes are used? What problems may occur during researcher-practitioner collaboration? This paper addresses the gap in literature by taking a knowledge creation perspective on DSR. Based on a literature review and findings from the field it proposes a set of principles for knowledge creation in collaborative DSR.