Lecture: Exploring Conceptual Modeling: a critical perspective

Lecture: Conceptual Modeling:
a critical perspective

This semester I had to step in to teaching at Ghent University talking to students in a program with a strong engineering tradition is. Coming from a Nordic IS background, where the focus leans more toward organizations and their complexities, I saw a chance to bridge these perspectives. My lecture on conceptual modeling for Enterprise Architecture students was the perfect moment to do just that.

Conceptual modelling is an approach in multiple courses at Ghent (Project management, process management, databases). Therefore questioning the assumptions baked into use of models, their role as boundary objects in aligning business, IT, and other functions etc. had the potential to trigger reflection with broader impact. Conceptual models are more than diagrams or schemas—they’re tools that bridge gaps, create clarity, and sometimes challenge boundaries. I built this argument using Lyytinen’s “Two Views of Information Modeling” (1987) and Langley et al.’s framework on boundary work (2019). These insights helped us see how models mediate collaboration in a way that’s as dynamic as the organizations using them.

The lecture slides are below—if you’re curious, take a look! I’d love to hear how others approach conceptual modeling in their own work.

critical perspective on conceptual models in enterprise architecture from Michal Hron

Full Citations

Lyytinen, Kalle. “Two views of information modeling.” Information & Management 12.1 (1987): 9-19.
Levina, Natalia, and Emmanuelle Vaast. “The emergence of boundary spanning competence in practice: Implications for implementation and use of information systems.” MIS Quarterly (2005): 335-363.
Langley, Ann, et al. “Boundary work among groups, occupations, and organizations: From cartography to process.” Academy of Management Annals 13.2 (2019): 704-736.