Breaking out of the design science box: High-value impact through multidisciplinary design science programs of research

Conducting research that will make an impact is a difficult challenge for any research discipline. Information Systems is no exception, and there is much discussion on how to increase the level of real-world impact of our research. This paper details a framework for generating high-impact research through a DSR-driven program of research. The framework rests on the propositions that as opposed to individual or ad-hoc team-driven approaches, increased impact is more likely to be realized by 1) sustained collaborative research programs that 2) employ multiple research methods to 3) shepherd concepts from the ideation stage all the way to realized, real-world impact. The observations in this paper reflect decades of large-scale programs of design science research that has utilized this framework.