Participatory, Agile, Co-creative

Identifying Topics for a Future-Oriented, Innovative Research on Digital Transformation

Abstract

The importance of an adaptive and participatory scientific research process outside of the proverbial ivory tower is increasing. This is especially true in research on digital transformation, where topics are investigated in the context of their multidimensional socio-technological interdependencies. It is key to understand how research on digital transformation responds to these complexities, to what extent citizens’ needs are effectively integrated as areas of scientific exploration, and how up-to-date topics can be identified. In commercial industry endevours, for example, the participation and collaboration of different stakeholders are seen as fundamental parts of work processes in order to create and leverage inter- and transdisciplinary synergies. Scientific research also has a promising history of different participatory approaches. In this context, we suggest a concept for the adaptation and implementation of such approaches to enable participatory, agile, and co-creative academic research. Our example is a structured process based on the innovation framework “Double Diamond,” which is implemented to identify relevant topics for research on digital transformation. This process – characterized by a continuous alternation between collecting and condensing findings – included five qualitative and quantitative studies. The results of these studies are presented and discussed considering the specific needs and values of participatory approaches in research on digital transformation.