Viewpoint: Information systems research strategy

Abstract

This article1This Viewpoint was invited by Bob Galliers 18 December 2015.1,2In addition to central editorial panel review, the paper was further read by several generous, senior scholars (I use the term descriptively here, though most were Senior Scholars https://aisnet.org/general/custom.asp?page=SeniorScholars), whose additional feedback was often challenging. Their anonymous contributions are acknowledged in several places, and quotations included, mainly in endnotes (referenced using roman numerals within square brackets). I further observe that many of these comments pertain to known limitations of the paper and complexities with implementing its explicit or implicit recommendations, thereby reflecting a form of rebuttal.2 has two aligned aims: (i) to espouse the value of a strategic research orientation for the Information Systems Discipline; and (ii) to facilitate such a strategic orientation by recognising the value of programmatic research and promoting the publication of such work. It commences from the viewpoint that Information Systems (IS) research benefits from being strategic at every level, from individual researcher, to research program, to research discipline and beyond. It particularly advocates for more coordinated programs of research emphasising real-world impact, while recognising that vibrant, individual-driven and small-team research within broad areas of promise, is expected to continue forming the core of the IS research ecosystem. Thus, the overarching aim is the amplification of strategic thinking in IS research – the further leveraging of an orientation natural to the JSIS community, with emphasis on research programs as a main strategic lever, and further considering how JSIS can be instrumental in this aim.