Comparing the Standards Lens with Other Perspectives on IS Innovations: The Case of CPFR

Conceptual labels influence researchers’ observations and analytic insights. This article aims to clarify the contributions of standards label by contrasting it with other ways of viewing the same entity and applying it to the IT-enabled supply chain innovation of Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment (CPFR). Proponents have labeled CPFR not only as a standard but also, at different decreasing levels of abstraction, as a business philosophy, methodology, and set of technologies. By comparing the analytic leverage offered by the different labels, we conclude that there is value in combining the standards perspective with other conceptual lenses. The specific case of CPFR also raises an interesting question for future research: Can information systems innovations justifiably be considered standardized in practice, if they are not standardized at all relevant levels of abstraction?