Use of the actors approach to develop a new design theory in logistics

Purpose: It is suggested that logistics research should have more methodological approaches than the predominantly analytical one based on positivism and the systems approach based on systems theory. The actors approach would offer different viewpoints, but to date it has seldom been used in logistics research. This paper looks at how the actors approach can be applied to creating a new design theory in logistics. Design/methodology/approach: This paper aims to show the opportunities of the actors approach to creating new design theory in inter-organizational tracking adoption by using material from six case studies. The study where the actors approach was used follows the phases of design science methodology. Finally, the study results obtained by using the actors approach are compared with previous literature about the topic to find the benefits of the actors approach. Findings: The actors approach offers innovative research possibilities and enables the development of new design theory in logistics, especially pertaining to the adoption of inter-organizational logistics information systems. Research limitations/implications: The presented study shows the applicability of the actors approach in studying the adoption of inter-organizational tracking systems. More research is needed to fully understand the potential of the actors approach in the field of logistics in general. Practical implications: The actors approach offers interesting viewpoints, especially for research on practice-oriented logistics information systems adoption, and it could be used to narrow the gap between managerial relevance and theoretical contributions. Original/value: The actors approach has rarely been used in logistics research. This paper demonstrates how this approach could be used successfully to develop new theories in the field of logistics by offering new viewpoints and completing other more common approaches