364: Innovating in Data-Based Reality: New Perspectives on Data as a Research Object (17198)

Data are key cognitive resources and unique semiotic artifacts that permeate organizational settings and the socioeconomic life today. Recent literature debunks the idea that data are simply ‘raw facts’ that fuel analytics and algorithmic systems—but what’s next? In this professional development workshop, we put forward the idea that data themselves should be an object of research and innovation, rather than just an accessory to digital innovation. We aim to push the boundaries of research on digital data and their role in contemporary innovation and organizing from different, complementary and sometimes competing, perspectives. We asked five expert speakers to introduce their own, diverse approaches to data as a research object and a key ingredient of innovation: How to study data in a thoroughly datafied environment? How can data innovation and innovation by and through data be theorized? What are the methods and kinds of evidence one should look for? What kind of knowledge can be useful for managers and policy makers to explore and exploit opportunities to innovate and organize with data? The experts will variously acknowledge or theorize, for instance, the characteristics of data artifacts, data-related practices, issues with data quality and governance, or the broader organizational configurations that emerge around them. After the experts’ introductory remarks, participants will break into smaller groups with each expert to discuss in-depth the perspectives, methods, and directions for the growing research interest in data. Finally, we will consolidate a collective understanding of data research that can help answering important questions in the age when innovation is increasingly based on data.