Research directions
Agile culture and Agile transformation
Agility is a well-known concept, and its methods are widely popular. More and more organisations are trying to extend the principles of agility beyond the IT department to not just "do agile" but "be agile". This is difficult, especially for traditional organisations whose culture is historically very different from an Agile culture. In collaboration with organisations and agile coachs (co-design), we are developing a tool to help such organisations cross the shaky bridge between both cultures. We rely on Design Science Research and the Design theory for Visual Inquiry Tools to do so.
Collaborative Tools to collectively solve wicked-problems
Since 2017, we have been working on the design and theorisation of a new type of management tool: the Visual Inquiry Tools (such as the Business Model Canvas, the value propositions and the TAM - Team Alignment Map). We have developed a new theory: the design theory for Visual Inquiry Tools. This theory aims to 1) provide a solid theoretical foundation for the abundance of such tools in the business environment and 2) help researchers and practitioners to develop such visual tools to collectively solve complex managerial problems. This research led to the creation of the Visual Collaboration Lab.
Digital (&) Sustainability
This research aims to identify and understand the relationship between two major imperatives for individuals, organisations and policies: digitalisation and sustainability. This relationship is much more complex and ambiguous than it appears. Digitalisation is often presented as the 'solution' to sustainability imperatives (digital innovations will help mitigate the effects of climate change). At the same time, digital technologies are sometimes presented as one of the "core problems" of climate change. Our current consumption of digital technologies seems incompatible with the objectives of sustainable development, and the "digital sobriety" movement calls for more responsible use.
The aim is to identify how to study such a phenomenon as a "wicked-problem", and then to shed light on this ambiguous relationship by distinguishing myths from actual reality, in order to better understand the current situation and future challenges
Cross-boundary collaboration
I work on teamwork and especially on cross-boundary collaboration when addressing wicked problems in management (e.g., medical projects, new product development, team coordination, strategic management). Regarding the new way of group work practices, my specific interests are in designing a new type of artefact that help teams have more effective conversations. I base my developments on the psycholinguistic theory of joint activity from Herb Clark (1996), the process of inquiry from Dewey (1929), and shared visualisation from Eppler (2007).
