Language, Change, and Possible Worlds
Ulrich Frank · 2021
This essay aims at the identification and discussion of specific methodological problems related to the study and the support of the digital transformation from the perspective of a discipline that is directly responsible, both as an observer and a driver: Business Informatics. After a short account of the history of information technology and its present constitution, a brief analysis of key aspects of the digital transformation will lead to the pivotal role of language and conceptual models in particular. To prepare systems for change, models need to incorporate abstractions that cover possible future worlds. From an academic perspective, this requirement is fascinating and challenging at the same time. It implies the problem of how to adequately justify the construction of possible worlds. Furthermore, it leads to the question of how we can think possible future worlds that are beyond the limits of the language we speak. Against this background, the paper proposes facets of a methodology of change.