Information Systems: the State of Field

Discussion of the precise nature of the Information System discipline has raged for more than twenty years and continues fiercely today. The most interesting aspect of recent debate is not only the sharpness and depth of the arguments, but the diverse conclusions arrived at by participants. The information systems field has contributed greatly to the rise of the information economy and the information society. Yet, after more than a quarter-century since its formation, it still is plagued by doubts about its identity and legitimacy. Information Systems: The State of the Field contains the reflections of leading IS scholars on the nature of the discipline, its core identity and the challenges of creating a strong and legitimate academic enterprise centred on information systems. It includes debates, reflections and commentaries from a group of leading information system scholars, and offers an overview of the state of the field at this time. This book is intended for all who are interested in the nature and direction of the information system field as it enters the 21st century. "The sociologist Zygmund Bauman has defined a discipline which is constantly debating its credentials as a “flawed” discipline. This critique can certainly be applied to the IS discipline. The editors of this book must be congratulated on collecting together the principal writings reflecting the nature of the debate to provide a learned and fascinating account of where the field now stands and perhaps where it is going. It is essential reading for any student of IS." —Frank Land, Emeritus Professor, Department of Information Systems, London School of Economics "The struggle for identity, according to Alford North Whitehead entails a dialectic of “becoming”. It evolves from coping with continuous change, a conflict of perspectives and always asking: “Who am I?”, “Who are we?”, “Who are we not?”, “What do we inherit from our past?”. In this imaginatively edited volume, King and Lyytinen recount information systems' restless pursuit for identity. Anyone who is affected by the struggles, but more importantly everyone who wants to join it must read this book." —Richard O. Mason, Carr P. Collins Distinguished Professor, Management Information Sciences, Edwin L. Cox School of Business, Southern Methodist University Discussion of the precise nature of the Information System discipline has raged for more than twenty years and continues fiercely today. The most interesting aspect of recent debate is not only the sharpness and depth of the arguments, but the diverse conclusions arrived at by participants. While very different, these have all been reached with the genuine aim of strengthening IS scholarship, and they all add to our specific understanding of the discipline in the last two decades. Edited by two of the most prominent academics in the field, Information Systems - The State of the Field brings together such perspectives along with wider contextual discussion to provide a fertile ground for reflection, learning and further debate. It includes articles from Izak Benbasat, Robert Galliers, Rudi Hirschheim, Heinz Klein, Suzi Iacono, Wanda Orlikowski, Gerry DeSanctis, Bob Zmud, Dan Robey, Kalle Lyytinen, John King, Sal March and Ron Weber, all of whom also provide a short original commentary of their views on this debate.