Track: Organizational Systems and Technology
Minitrack: Theoretical Approaches to IS Research


Theory is generally considered to be the bedrock of academic research. It is the foundation upon which scientific research is organized and built. In particular, IS research draws heavily on theory from a variety of disciplines—by our count, at least 70 theories have been widely used in IS research.1 IS research has developed or appropriated theories to examine central disciplinary themes such as IS development, adoption, implementation, training, application, as well as strategic, social and political factors. Some theories have originated within the IS field, while others have been drawn from complementary disciplines such as psychology, sociology, management, economics, and mathematics.

A special editorial in the May 2007 edition of MIS Quarterly highlighted the need for paying attention to IS theories and theoretical papers. The editors specifically pleaded for more purely theoretical papers to be submitted for review. This minitrack has sought to meet their goals.

Despite its ubiquity, there is a lot that we don’t know about theory. We believe many theories used in IS research are relatively unknown to, or not well understood by, IS researchers. For example, there are very few frameworks to organize theories used in IS research. There has not been extensive work on the categorization of the conceptual variables used in IS research, or work that establishes theoretical ties between IS research and research in other disciplines. We believe that it is possible to advance the IS field by studying the theories it has developed and uses.

This minitrack seeks to thoroughly examine, inform, and extend theoretical approaches used in IS research. We believe this minitrack will continue to fit well within the Organizational Systems and Technology track, and complement the minitrack on Research Methods and Applications. We believe this minitrack targets an important niche in IS research, and can gain interest from IS researchers at all levels. There are few outlets for quality papers on conceptual or theoretical approaches, and we believe that there will continue to be strong interest in this minitrack from IS researchers.

We will be looking specifically for papers on:

• Meta studies of theories used in IS research

• Meta studies of the IS field, based on theories used

• Papers that develop new theories applicable to IS research

• Papers that extend existing theories within the context of IS research

• Papers that provide a theoretical bridge between the IS field and other scientific disciplines.
  
   

Minitrack Co-chairs:

Scott L. Schneberger (Primary Contact)
Principia College
Elsah, IL 62028
Phone: 618-374-5156
Email: Scott.Schneberger@principia.edu


Michael Wade
Information Systems
Schulich School of Business
York University
4700 Keele St., Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
Canada
Phone: 416-736-2100 ext. 20251
Fax: 905-883-8704
Email: mwade@schulich.yorku.ca