Seminar

Technoficing: Conceptual Foundations and Future Research Directions

SPEAKER

SPEAKER

Prof. Israr Qureshi

Israr Qureshi is Professor of Social Entrepreneurship and Digital Development. His research focuses on marginalized contexts and draws on information systems and organization studies theories to advance poverty alleviation, social inclusion, and empowerment. He has extensive expertise across diverse research methods and engages closely with rural and disadvantaged populations. His work leverages the social intermediation framework, the technoficing lens, and institutional theory to make sense of emerging phenomena. He has published in leading journals, including Academy of Management Annals, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Learning & Education, European Journal of Information Systems, Information Systems Journal, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Organizational Behavior, MIS Quarterly, Organizational Research Methods, Organization Science, and Organization Studies. He maintains strong relationships with social-sector organizations, and his research has been funded by the Research Grants Council (Hong Kong), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Canada), and the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (India).

ABSTRACT

This research seminar traces the journey from ideas to measurement, illustrating how meaningful research emerges when scholars integrate grounded inquiry, rich ethnography, and rigorous measurement development. Using the phenomenon of technoficing—the creative adaptation and repurposing of technology for social good—as an example, the session highlights how compelling research ideas often originate in the field through close observation, immersion, and engagement with real-world practice. Ethnographic and case-based methods help researchers identify novel concepts and constructs that existing theories may overlook. Building on these grounded insights, the talk demonstrates how researchers can systematically conceptualize emerging phenomena and translate them into measurable constructs through a structured scale-development process. By connecting discovery-oriented qualitative work with robust quantitative validation, the seminar underscores how researchers can produce theoretically insightful, empirically sound, and practically relevant contributions. The seminar will also explore future possibilities for further developing this construct and its nomological network. The overall aim is to inspire participants to move from observing meaningful patterns in practice to constructing rigorous tools that advance both academic knowledge and societal impact.

MODERATOR

Prof. Yipu DENG

Assistant Professor,
Innovation and Information Management,
HKU Business School

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