The prize committee’s motivations for the award through the years are found below (on going project to collect previous years’ motivations).
Winners of the Börje Langefors Prize 2025
Adrian Bumann, Generating Architectural Knowledge in Digital Innovation Networks: This compilation dissertation investigates the generation of architectural knowledge, or “the understanding of how individual components are integrated into a coherent whole”, within digital innovation networks. The dissertation topic is timely and connects well to current national and international digital innovation research within the information systems discipline. Through employing qualitative, longitudinal case studies of two digital innovation networks in the maritime sector, the thesis offers empirical insights into the knowledge dynamics and combinative capabilities needed for successful digital innovation. The dissertation contributes to the literature on digital innovation, innovation networks, and organizational design by explaining knowledge dynamics in digital innovation networks and provide important implications for actors in these networks.
Shweta Premanandan, Care for caregivers: Designing IT applications for informal caregivers: This compilation dissertation addresses a problem and a group of people that often goes unnoticed in information systems research – the informal caregivers whose lives are significantly impacted by providing care to their loved ones. The dissertation focuses on the needs of informal caregivers and how persuasive system design and positive design approaches contribute to the design of IT applications that support them, as well as how these applications can be adapted to better meet their needs. The dissertation contributes to the field of information systems by creating adapted frameworks for informal caregiving. Moreover, it emphasizes the need of crafting IT applications with empathy and inclusion for this specific group of people.
Winners of the Langefors Prize 2024
Frida Ivarsson, Frame shifting and frame blending in digital transformation addresses a phenomenon that is not easy to make transparent, i.e. how meaning-making shapes digital transformation. Using a longitudinal case study between the years 2018 and2022 with rich data collection and analysis of participatory observations, interviews, e-mails and social media chats, and archival documents, the thesis provides a detailed study of interactions between frame shifting and frame blending in the context of digital transformation.
The compilation thesis, with its transparent, creative, and multi-method approach, contributes with a new conceptual framework to the digital transformation literature, useful for investigating both micro-level meaning-making and temporality in digital transformation. The contributing framework, moving between micro-level discursive interactions and organization-level digital transformation, enhances our understanding of why digital transformation takes different shapes, is a valuable contribution to the research field of Information Systems.
Elham Rostami, Tailoring information security policies – a computerized tool and a design theory” addresses an important, and timely aspect of information system security management. Protecting information assets in organizations is vital, and thus to direct employees’ behavior and define
acceptable procedures that employees must comply with in their daily work. Applying and following design science method, in an exemplary way, this thesis identifies a set of design principles and develop a conceptual model on how to modularize information security policies (ISPs), that together guides design of computerized tools to support information security managers’ tailoring of ISPs.
This compilation thesis provides a rich and detailed study of the design complexity when tailoring ISPs and by using a variety of data sources. The thesis offers an insightful and valuable knowledge contribution to new theory on how to design ISPs. Focusing on an innovative conceptual model, supporting information security managers to design tailored ISPs, is valuable contribution to the research field of Information Systems.
Winner of the Langefors Prize 2023
Cristina Ghita, Technology in Absentia: A New Materialist Study of Digital Disengagement addresses an important, interesting, and timely aspect of system use by focusing on what can be learned through the absence of ubiquitous digital devices. Using a multi-sided ethnographic approach that combines participatory observation at a digital detox camp, netnography of a virtual community centered on reducing screen time, and interviews with creators of products and services that support and promote digital disengagement, the thesis provides a rich and detailed study of digital disengagement.
The monograph, with its transparent, creative, and atypical methods, offers innovative value in knowledge contributions through its focus on digital disengagement. Furthermore, it presents a theoretical concept to capture the phenomenon of digital disengagement: diffractive digital use. Focusing on digital disengagement at individual and collective levels is, therefore, a valuable contribution to the research field of Information Systems.
Winner of the Langefors Prize 2022
Andreas Hedrén, With Lives on the Line addresses an important and understudied aspect of system use that is clearly communicated already in the very first two sentences of the thesis: ”Some people are required to use a specific system in their work. Should they resist, people die.” Using a quantitative approach, the thesis provides a rich and detailed study of user adoption and user affective reactions throughout the whole implementation process of the mandated system. The monography with its transparent method contains innovative value in knowledge contributions by its focus of user adoption and affective reaction to systems that cannot be rejected by the user. The monography also presents a creative use of an established framework by focusing on mandated system use in organizations. Focusing on mandatory use of the studied system is therefore a valuable contribution to the research field of Information System.
Winner of the Langefors Prize 2021
Hannes Göbel – Designing Digital Resourcing
Motivation: Designing Digital Resourcing addresses an important aspect of digital innovation in information systems research, namely how digital resourcing systems should be designed to stimulate the discovery of digital innovations. Using an action design research approach, the thesis provides a rich empirical base and demonstrates a high degree of internal congruence in the way it balances the study of a complex phenomenon with analytical clarity. The monograph thesis formalizes its results into a contribution to design theory in the area of digital resourcing, and is communicated to the international research community in several articles.
The prize committé consisted of Annika Andersson (Örebro University), Magnus Bergquist (Halmstad University), Darek Haftor (Uppsala University), Robin Teigland (Stockholm School of Economics) and Gustaf Juell-Skielse (Stockholm University).
Winner of the Langefors Prize 2020
Daniel Skog – The Dynamics of Digital Transformation: The Role of Digital innovation, Ecosystems and Logics in Fundamental Organizational Change
The dissertation addresses a relevant and timely theme at the heart of the information systems discipline, namely digital transformation. Based on solid empirical research from a rich source of primary and secondary data, the thesis provides a coherent argument for how the dynamics of digital transformation can be understood and conceptualized, and does it in a way that increases our understanding for how organizational change is driven by digital innovation, inside and outside of organizational boundaries. The main contribution, the digital transformation framework, builds on a well described and motivated theoretical foundation with challenging implications for both research and practice.
First Runner Up for the Langefors Prize
Leif Sundberg – The Relation Between Digital Technology and Values: Thinking Through Multiple Technologies
The dissertation addresses an important problem area for the information systems discipline: the theoretical relationship between digital technology and value. The dissertation deepens our understanding of how values are manifested depending on the view of digital technology. The research design is very well reflected with a combination of narrative and statistical analysis of government documents and survey answers. The theoretical basis is critically examined and carefully used to position the contribution and providing insights for how values of digitalization are prioritized as well as suggestions for policies related to digital technology.
The prize committé consisted of Annika Andersson (Örebro University), Magnus Bergquist (Halmstad University), Päivi Jokela (Linné University), Gustaf Juell-Skielse (Stockholm University) and Robin Teigland (Stockholm School of Economics).
Börje Langefors-priset 2017
Malin Granath for her thesis: The Smart City – how smart can ‘IT’ be?: Discourses on digitalisation in policy and planning of urban development.
Motivation: Malin Granath’s dissertation takes the currently less fashionable monograph form, but uses it to excellent effect in the investigation of an important emerging topic – discourse on digitalization in the context of smart cities. She provides a monograph with a high communication value, where the major theoretical and empirical discussions are structured, held in view, and balanced though a 200 page, 11 chapter argument. A theoretical lens integrating discourse, stakeholder and institutional theory is used to analyse both policy communication and a local smart city project. The results lend some much-needed clarity to the ambiguous ‘digitalization’ concept and expose its limited take-up in the smart city arena.
Börje Langeforspriset 2016
Börje Langeforspriset för bästa doktorsavhandling inom informatik/informationssystem 2016 tilldelas Daniel Nylén vid Umeå universitet för avhandlingen Digital Innovation and Changing Identities.
Daniel Nylén tilldelas priset med motiveringen: Relevant ämnesval med hög aktualitet och tydlig förankring till ämnets internationella frontlinje. En välartikulerad forskningsdesign, god teorigrund samt rik och intressant empiri. Artiklar med mycket god internationell exponering.
Börje Langeforspriset 2011
Börje Langeforspriset för bästa doktorsavhandling inom informatik/informationssystem 2011 har tilldelats
Henrik Wimelius vid Umeå universitet för avhandlingen Duplicate Systems: Investigating Unintended Consequences of Information Technology in Organizations
Henrik Wimelius tilldelas priset för bästa doktorsavhandling med följande motivering: Henrik Wimelius doktorsavhandling är välskriven och tydligt positionerad gentemot existerande litteratur. Den frågeställning som adresseras är både teoretiskt och praktiskt intressant. Metodmässigt baseras forskningsarbetet på en rigorös process som presenteras på ett reflexivt sätt. Dessutom är avhandlingens logik och struktur väl genomtänkta. Eftersom förekomsten av parallella, konkurrerande IT-system inom organisationer och verksamheter tenderar öka bidrar Henrik med värdefulla insikter och lärdomar. För hans egen del utgör avhandlingen en förnämlig kunskapsbas som med fördel kan vidare exploateras.
Länk till avhandlingen: Duplicate systems.
Omnämnande för framstående doktorsavhandling
Omnämnande för framstående doktorsavhandling inom informatik/informationssystem 2011
M. Sirajul Islam vid Örebro universitet för avhandlingen Creating Opportunity by Connecting the Unconnected: Deploying Mobile Phone based Agriculture Market Information Service for Farmers in Bangladesh
M. Sirajul Islams avhandling har placerats på andra plats vid bedömning av doktorsavhandlingar 2011 med följande motivering: Sirajul Islams doktorsavhandling rapporterar ett tillämpat designprojekt med fokus på mobil teknologi och hållbara samhällsförändringar. Projektet är särskilt intressant eftersom det illustrerar hur informatikforskning kan bidra till att underpriviligerade grupper förstärks genom innovativ IT-användning. Den genomförda forskningsprocessen presenteras på ett överskådligt men samtidigt detaljerat sätt. Inte minst ger presentationen en god bild av hur olika teoretiska och praktiska spörsmål beaktats. De artiklar som utgör kärnan i avhandlingen vittnar om forskningsarbetets goda internationella exponering.
Länk till avhandlingen: Creating opportunity by connecting the unconnected.
Börje Langeforspriset 2009-2010
Börje Langeforspriset för bästa doktorsavhandling inom informatik/informationssystem 2009-2010 tilldelas Annika Andersson vid Örebro universitet för avhandlingen Learning to Learn from e-Learning.
Motivering: Samhällsrelevant ämnesval, välbeskriven och relevant teorigrund, god forskningsdesign med lämplig metodkombinering och sekvensiering av delstudier, omfattande och intressant empiri, god stegvis kumulativ kunskapsbildning, lättläst och välstrukturerad framställning, bra uppläggning av sammanläggningsavhandling med en välutvecklad kappa, en god internationell exponering.
Tillbaka till ”Börje Langeforspriset”