Ontological Evaluation of Conceptual Models – A Linguistic Interpretivist Approach

Becker J, Niehaves B, Pfeiffer D

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to present a philosophically sound approach to conceptual model evaluation. Accordingly, the ontological evaluation of conceptual models is enriched with a linguistic interpretivist perspective. The need for such an approach to evaluation is justified by the substantial economic importance of conceptual models. The quality of a conceptual model has a significant impact on other IT artefacts and, thus, on the costs of IT projects. However, little research has so far focused on their evaluation. In the course of this paper, we develop a framework which describes the current state of research and recognizes neglected research fields. With the aid of this framework we identify a notable shortcoming in conceptual model evaluation research, especially with respect to philosophically sound evaluation procedures. Based on these findings we address the following research questions: What are the shortcomings in current evaluation research, what are the merits of ‘ontological evaluation’ in this context, and how can the linguistic interpretivist approach help to form a comprehensive and philosophically sound conceptual model evaluation approach?

Keywords
ontology, epistemology, model quality, conceptual model evaluation, linguistic interpretivism