Some principles for conducting phronetic IS research

Over the past 20 years we observe a renaissance (and adaption) of the Aristotelian notion of phronesis, a third type of knowledge - next to episteme and techné. Phronesis concerns human practice and the pursuit of values and the good life. It addresses the contingencies of human practice, e.g. politics and management and mainly uses an abductive logic in exploring specific cases. While the IS discipline has mainly focused on value-neutral research, the profound and ambivalent impacts of digitalization have highlighted the need to consider the impacts of technology design and use on individuals’ well-being, on the economy and society at large. Phronetic research addresses this void and complements existing research approaches. The chapter positions and motivates phronetic IS research, it introduces methodological principles and reflects on necessary competencies of the research.