Magnus Li

• Li, Magnus (2025). System-Oriented ISD Agility: Sensing and Responding beyond System-Oriented ISD Agility: Sensing and Responding beyond Product Qualities. Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS). doi: https:/aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/isdesign/isdesign/9/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Agile information systems development (ISD) processes in organizational digitalization increasingly extend beyond delivering software products to being directly accountable and responsive to organizational improvement. In contrast to traditional product- oriented ISD, these efforts face not only uncertainties related to evolving product requirements but also deeper uncertainties about complex organizational problems and the often unpredictable effects of organizational interventions. This calls for distinct ways of sensing and responding. Yet, our conceptual language to articulate these differences remains underdeveloped. This paper contributes to the ISD agility literature by distinguishing between product-oriented and system-oriented agility, and examines key forms of sensing and responding in system-oriented agility: representational and actual sensing, and intervention-altering and frame-altering responses. We show how these forms of sensing and responding play out in an ISD initiative aimed at improving a hospital office service and discuss the characteristics, strengths, and limitations of each form.

• Li, Magnus (2024). Challenging the “IS” in ISD: From Software to Sociotechnical Systems Design and Development. In Cheung, Christy M.K.; Laumer, Sven & Thatcher, Jason (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS2024). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781958200131. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Information Systems Development (ISD) literature generally assumes software to be the object of design and development in ISD processes and thereby equates the term “Information System” (IS), with “Information Technology” (IT). An alternative interpretation of ISD is that it involves the design and development of IS as sociotechnical systems. In this conceptual paper, we suggest that ISD researchers can leverage the unique sociotechnical focus of the IS field to contribute to developing a notion of ISD that sees sociotechnical systems, rather than software, as its object of design and development. We discuss how moving to sociotechnical systems as the object of design and development has several important consequences for how we understand the ISD process and propose some questions and three avenues for further ISD research.

• Thomassen, Maja Lanestedt & Li, Magnus (2024). From Intra-Organizational to Societal Frames for Digital Service Innovation in Shared Public Services, The proceedings of the 15th Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems (SCIS). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9781958200094. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The public sector is expected to engage actively in improving and innovating its services based on opportunities in digital technologies. An increasingly relevant context for such digital service innovation is shared public services, offered through a collaboration between several public sector organizations (PSOs). In this context, PSOs must temporarily collaborate, navigating challenges that may extend beyond their intra-organizational goals and social mandates. While existing literature has pointed to shared public services as a highly relevant yet potentially challenging context for digital service innovation, it remains relatively unexplored. This paper aims to extend our knowledge of digital service innovation in shared public services by addressing the following research questions: 1) What characteristics of shared public services may make digital service innovation challenging? 2) How can PSOs with distinct goals and social mandates engage in digital service innovation of shared public services? Through examining a Scandinavian cross-sectoral digitalization project, our findings highlight three characteristics: frame plurality, shared authority, and uneven distribution of benefits and costs. Addressing the second research question, we show how PSOs can work to transition from what we coin their intra-organizational frames, emphasizing individual objectives and mandates, to a shared societal frame emphasizing societal and citizen-centric benefits.

• Ness, Ane Marthe; Løfqvist, Tonje & Li, Magnus (2022). Challenges with organizing for solution discovery in socio-technical design projects. In Bednar, Peter; Islind, Anna Sigridur; Hult, Helena Vallo; Nolte, Alexander; Rajanen, Mikko; Zaghloul, Fatema; Ravarini, Aurelio & Braccini, Alessio Maria (Ed.), Proceedings of the 8th International Workshop on Socio-Technical Perspective in Information Systems Development (STPIS 2022). CEUR-WS. p. 33–40. Full text in Research Archive
• Li, Magnus (2021). Generic Enterprise Software Implementation as Context for User-Oriented Design: Three Conditions and their Implications for Vendors. In Parmiggiani, Elena; Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk & Mikalef, Patrick (Ed.), Proceedings of the12th Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems (SCIS2021). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9788230350546. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  User-oriented approaches to designing IT are consistently promoted by academic and practitioner literature. These orients the design process around the specific practices and needs of end-users to build usable and relevant systems. However, an increasingly relevant but little explored context for the design of IT is that of implementing generic enterprise software solutions. In this paper, we explore conditions for user-oriented design during the implementation of generic enterprise software. Our empirical data is based on an ongoing engaged research project, where we work with the vendor of a global generic software solution and a set of implementation specialist groups (ISGs). Together, we explore how user-oriented design during implementation of the software solution can be supported and promoted. The paper contributes to the body of knowledge on the design and implementation of generic enterprise software by identifying several challenges and three conditions for user-oriented design in this context. The conditions are: the project configuration, the implementation practices of the ISGs, and the features and adaption capabilities of the generic software solution. We further contribute by discussing their implications for vendors who want to support and promote user-oriented design during implementation of their software solutions.

• Bengtsson, Anastasia; Nielsen, Petter & Li, Magnus (2021). Component trustworthiness in an enterprise software platform ecosystem. NOKOBIT: Norsk konferanse for organisasjoners bruk av informasjonsteknologi. ISSN 1892-0748. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Enterprise software packages are increasingly designed as extensible software platforms. These platforms are characterised by modular architecture that allows third parties to innovate and create value through the development of complementary applications. The development process of complementary applications from scratch is resource-intensive. One way of optimising the development process is by using the component-based software engineering (CBSE) approach that focuses on software reuse and suggests building applications with reusable components. There is a considerable amount of literature on CBSE; however, there has been little discussion on how component-based software engineering can strengthen third-party application development in the context of an enterprise software platform ecosystem. Specifically, it is unclear how the challenge of component trustworthiness can be addressed in this context. To explore this, we conducted a design science research(DSR) study to answer the following question: What are design principles pertaining to component trustworthiness for implementing a component repository that facilitates component reuse in an enterprise software platform ecosystem? In our study, we have explored the potential for component reuse in the ecosystem of the global health software platform DHIS2 by designing and developing a prototype component repository. During the design and development process, two design principles were identified: Principle of component trustworthiness and Principle of balanced certification. These principles are to guide researchers and practitioners on how a component repository can be implemented in the context of an enterprise software platform ecosystem.

• Thomassen, Maja Lanestedt & Li, Magnus (2021). Enterprise Software Implementation as Context for Digital Innovation. IRIS Selected Papers of the Information Systems Research Seminar in Scandinavia. ISSN 1891-9863. 12. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Many of the IT systems used in organizations are based on comprehensive generic enterprise software (ES) solutions. Accordingly, the process of implementing ES solutions, where generic features are configured and extended according to specific user needs represents a relevant context for digital design and innovation. Yet, besides a few exceptions, it remains little explored by IS research, and the dominant perspective on how generic solutions are implemented portrays a process with little flexibility to design and innovate digital solutions based on emerging user needs. In this paper, we address this gap by studying how innovation takes place during ES implementation. Our empirical analysis is based on data from the first phase of an ongoing case study, where we investigate the practices of five consultancy firms specialized in ES implementation. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge on ES implementation by proposing a conceptualization of how digital innovation takes place in the intersection between ES as a 'design infrastructure' and the needs of individual customer organizations.

• Li, Magnus (2019). An Approach to Addressing the Usability and Local Relevance of Generic Enterprise Software. IRIS Selected Papers of the Information Systems Research Seminar in Scandinavia. ISSN 1891-9863. 10. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Designing for usability and locally relevant features for end-users in generic ‘product’ or ‘packaged’ enterprise software projects is challenging. On the generic level, designers must aim at supporting variety, which is contradictory to the specificity needed to make user interfaces usable, and functionality relevant to end-users within specific organizational contexts. Also, addressing these concerns during the implementation of generic software is difficult due to limitations in the design flexibility of the software, time and resource constraints, possible maintenance issues following customization, and a lack of design methods appropriate for the context of software implementation. Reporting from an ongoing Action Design Research project following a global generic health software, this paper conceptualizes a Generic Software Design Lab that aims to equip design on the level of software implementation with flexibility, tools, and methods to efficiently localize generic software. By conceptualizing the approach and discussing how it works to strengthen implementation-level designers’ ability to address usability and local relevance, the paper contributes with learnings to research and practice related to design, development, and implementation of generic software.

• Li, Magnus (2019). Usability Problems and Obstacles to Addressing Them in Health Information Software Implementations. In Nielsen, Petter & Kimaro, Honest C. (Ed.), Information and Communication Technologies for Development: Strengthening Southern-Driven Cooperation as a Catalyst for ICT4D. 15th IFIP WG 9.4 International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries, ICT4D 2019, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, May 1–3, 2019, Proceedings, Part I. Springer Nature. ISSN 9783030183998. p. 241–252. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-19115-3_20. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Usability is widely recognized as a desired attribute of technology, referring to how usable it is to the intended users. As health information systems in developing countries are increasingly digitalized, interaction with familiar analog technologies is replaced by digital user interfaces for many health workers. An array of literature documents usability problems in such initiatives, arguing for their adverse effects on the users, and the system as a whole. What makes it challenging to achieve usability in this context has, however, not been explored extensively. This empirical paper attempts to bring focus to this gap, by defining the concept of usability design obstacles, which refer to aspects that complicate the usability design process. The relevance of the concept is illustrated through three empirical vignettes based on two action research projects in Uganda and India. Three concrete obstacles are outlined. These are (1) constraints introduced by software, (2) constraints introduced by legacy design, and (3) scale and heterogeneity of user groups. It is argued that to address the usability problems commonly outlined and discussed by existing literature, more focus on how to overcome such usability design obstacles is crucial. The obstacles identified in the empirical case of this paper also represent avenues for further research, which are discussed.

• Li, Magnus & Nielsen, Petter (2019). Making Usable Generic Software. A Matter of Global or Local Design? In Pekkola, Samuli; Pirkkalainen, Henri; Hellsten, Pasi & Ilvonen, Ilona (Ed.), Proceedings of the 10th Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems (SCIS2019). Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISSN 9780578532127. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Usability is widely acknowledged as a desirable trait of software, referring to how usable it is to a specific set of users. However, when software is developed as generic packages, aimed at supporting variety, designing user interfaces with sufficient sensitivity to use-contexts is a challenge. Extant literature has documented this challenge and established that solving usability-related problems are difficult, both during software development and implementation. Adding to this discussion, this paper contributes by developing a framework to analyze what characterizes usability-related design of generic software. This includes two levels of design; generic-level and implementation-level, and two types of design; design for use and design for design. We apply this conceptual framework on an empirical case based on an ongoing action research project where a global generic health software is implemented in a large state in India. From the analysis we argue that attempts to strengthen usability of generic software require a holistic intervention, considering design on both ‘global’ and ‘local’ level. Of particular importance is how usable the generic software and other design-resources are when implementers are customizing the software. We coin this aspect of design as meta-usability, which represent what we see as an avenue for further research.

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• Li, Magnus; Hylving, Lena & Mønsted, Troels Sune (2025). The proceedings of the 16th Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems (SCIS) held in Oslo, Norway, 2025. Association for Information Systems (AIS). ISBN 9781958200148. Full text in Research Archive

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• Li, Magnus (2025). Digitalisering: Vi står fast i en produktmetafor. 9. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Digitaliseringsprosjektene ender med de samme problemene gang på gang. Én av grunnene er at det er noe grunnleggende galt med måten vi forstår og organiserer digitalisering på.

• Li, Magnus (2025). Hvordan stimulere til radikal digital innovasjon? Full text in Research Archive
• Li, Magnus (2024). Hva er digital innovasjonskompetanse? Stat & Styring. ISSN 0803-0103. 34(3), p. 56–62. doi: 10.18261/stat.34.4.9. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Digital teknologi gir enorme muligheter for innovasjon i organiseringen av offentlig sektor. Samtidig forteller en nylig rapport fra Digitaliseringsdirektoratet at offentlige organisasjoner føler de møter økte hindringer i arbeidet med digital innovasjon og digitalisering. Et av hovedpunktene er at kompetansegapet øker, hvor 43 % av virksomhetene i Anskaffelsesundersøkelsen 2024 opplever mangel på «innovasjonskompetanse». Men hva er egentlig digital innovasjonskompetanse? Selv om behovet for kompetanse stadig blir nevnt i forbindelse med digitalisering, er det gjerne uklart hva slags kompetanse det snakkes om. Ofte kan det handle om å ha en forståelse av digital teknologi, men hvis vi skal få til de forbedringene og omstillingene vi ønsker gjennom digitalisering i offentlig sektor, må kompetansebegrepet romme et videre sett av egenskaper. I denne artikkelen vil vi ta et bredere blikk på digital innovasjonskompetanse.

• Li, Magnus & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2024). Digitalisering er for viktig til at vi kan fortsette slik vi gjør nå. Full text in Research Archive
• Li, Magnus & Kempton, Alexander Moltubakk (2024). Why is public sector digitalization so difficult? Full text in Research Archive
• Li, Magnus (2019). Making Usable Generic Software - The Platform Appliances Approach. Full text in Research Archive
• Li, Magnus (2019). Usability Problems and Obstacles to Addressing Them in Health Information Software Implementations. Full text in Research Archive
• Li, Magnus & Nielsen, Petter (2019). Design Infrastructures in Global Software Platform Ecosystems. Full text in Research Archive
• Li, Magnus; Nielsen, Petter & Sæbø, Johan Ivar (2018). Mediators to Advocate and Facilitate End-User Participation in Digital Innovation. Full text in Research Archive
• Li, Magnus (2022). Enterprise Software as Design Infrastructure. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive

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