Examining Assumptions: Provocations on the Nature, Impact, and Implications of IS Theory

Abstract

The Information Systems research community has a complex relationship with theory and theorizing. As a community of scholars, our assumptions about theory and theorizing affect every aspect of our intellectual lives. Ideas about what theory is, who theorizes, where theory comes from, when we theorize about, how theory is developed and changes, and why theory is (or isn’t) important shapes the projects we do, the partnerships we have, the resources available to us, and phenomena that we find to be significant, interesting, and novel.