Toward a Deeper Examination of Global IT Theory and Frameworks

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the field of global information technology (global IT) and attempt to answer the following four questions: (1) Have we established a theory or theories, which enable us to generate a clear set of definitions that define this field? (2) Do we have a level of consensus on what we are trying to measure while we conduct research in this area? (3) What are (if any) the common threads of research in the global IT area and is there continuity in the research being conducted? (4) What are the future implications for researchers in this area and are there any concepts that need to be integrated with existing frameworks that would help define this area of research? Our answers to the four questions lead us to propose that global IT researchers need to move towards developing a theory for the field, generate a consensus on what we want to measure and build a truly global cumulative research tradition for the field. We also propose that practitioner issues should not be ignored when we attempt to search for a theory that helps define the field.