Most of management research assumes that data represent relevant facts about organizational environments and are available as ready-to-use resources in organizations. Yet, valuable data resources do not come into existence by themselves. All data are human made and could have been otherwise—or not existed at all. Information systems research has traditionally addressed the creation of data as a conceptual modeling exercise, whereas recent sociotechnical studies have focused on the production, sourcing, use, and reuse of data in organizational settings. However, little attention has been paid to how data-producing arrangements and, by implication, data are designed in practice. Prof. Aaltonen extends the scholarship on data by theorizing how the design of a new or improved data-producing arrangement can result in data innovation. Framing data themselves as innovation is justified whenever the creation of novel data enhances the capacity of an organization to create value through further data-based innovation, or to intervene in its environment in a way that enhances organizational value creation. Understanding data innovation requires attention to grammatical rules that make it possible to interpret data; the evolution of data over time, and to data flows between systems that constrain opportunities for data innovation. Prof. Aaltonen's research illustrates data innovation using a case vignette on improved gender identity data and discuss its implications to digital innovation, classification systems, data quality, and on data justice and how to examine data innovation in more detail.

Aleksi Aaltonen is an ​​Associate Professor of Information Systems at Stevens Institute of Technology and serves as a Deputy Editor-in-Chief at the Journal of Information Technology. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science and studies data and data-based innovation and organizing using a variety of methods. His publications have appeared in leading academic journals such as Management Science, Information Systems Research, MIS Quarterly, and in other high-quality journals. Before joining academia, Aleksi worked for CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation founded by Nobel Peace Laureate and former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari, and founded an activity tracking app Moves that was acquired by Facebook in 2014. He currently maintains the Data Studies Bibliography that is a resource for management scholars interested in data as an object of research.is an ​​Associate Professor of Information Systems at Stevens Institute of Technology and serves as a Deputy Editor-in-Chief at the Journal of Information Technology. He holds a PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science and studies data and data-based innovation and organizing using a variety of methods. His publications have appeared in leading academic journals such as Management Science, Information Systems Research, MIS Quarterly, and in other high-quality journals. Before joining academia, Aleksi worked for CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation founded by Nobel Peace Laureate and former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari, and founded an activity tracking app Moves that was acquired by Facebook in 2014. He currently maintains the Data Studies Bibliography that is a resource for management scholars interested in data as an object of research.