The Digital Transformation Conundrum: Labels, Definitions, Phenomena, and Theories

IF 7 3区管理学 Q1 COMPUTER SCIENCE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Journal of the Association for Information Systems Pub Date : 2023-01-01 DOI:10.17705/1jais.00809

M. Markus, F. Rowe

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引用次数: 4

Abstract

The forthcoming JAIS special issue on “Envisioning Digital Transformation” is predicated on the assumption that theoretical diversity would be a good thing for the IS field. But making sense of theoretical diversity requires either a common frame of reference or crystal clarity about concept definitions and the phenomena to which they point. In this editorial, we argue that the IS field still lacks the conceptual and empirical clarity needed to benefit from theoretical diversity about digital transformation. The digital transformation label has been applied to the evolution of technology, as well as to the evolution of organizations and society. It has been used to refer to change in entities or processes and to processes of change. It has been used to refer to particular technological artifacts and to particular kinds of data and processing power. This type of diversity risks obscuring the value of diverse theoretical formulations. Only through clear distinctions and precise labeling of older and new phenomena can the IS field fully benefit from new theories and theoretical elaborations about digital transformation.

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数字化转型难题:标签、定义、现象和理论

即将出版的JAIS特刊“展望数字化转型”是基于这样一个假设，即理论多样性对is领域来说是一件好事。但是，要理解理论的多样性，要么需要一个共同的参考框架，要么需要对概念定义和它们所指向的现象有清晰的认识。在这篇社论中，我们认为信息系统领域仍然缺乏从数字化转型的理论多样性中受益所需的概念和经验清晰度。数字化转型的标签已被应用于技术的演变，以及组织和社会的演变。它已被用来指实体或过程中的变化以及变化的过程。它已经被用来指特定的技术产物和特定类型的数据和处理能力。这种多样性有可能掩盖各种理论表述的价值。只有对新旧现象进行清晰的区分和精确的标记，信息系统领域才能充分受益于数字化转型的新理论和理论阐述。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of the Association for Information Systems 工程技术-计算机：信息系统

CiteScore

11.20

自引率

5.20%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： The Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS), the flagship journal of the Association for Information Systems, publishes the highest quality scholarship in the field of information systems. It is inclusive in topics, level and unit of analysis, theory, method and philosophical and research approach, reflecting all aspects of Information Systems globally. The Journal promotes innovative, interesting and rigorously developed conceptual and empirical contributions and encourages theory based multi- or inter-disciplinary research.