The choice of critical information systems research

Abstract

Accompanying the development and diffusion of information technologies throughout organizations and society is the research challenge to examine the relationship between information systems and the organizations and societies within which they are embedded. As the field of information systems matures, it is fitting that consideration be given to the ways in which such an examination is carried out. Thus, there is a research need not only to examine and assess the ways in which information systems are used and affect people; there is also a research need to examine and assess the research approaches that are used to carry out these assessments. This paper examines the enactment of the critical tradition in IS research and the possibilities for new insights that can arise from shifting the lens from positivist or interpretive to critical. This consideration leads to a discussion of issues that arise from the choice of critical IS research, followed by some recommendations for addressing these issues. © 2004 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.