OPERATIONALIZING THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ARTIFACT IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH: GRAY AREA, PITFALLS, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF STRATEGIC AMBIGUITY.

Author List: Whinston, Andrew B.; Geng, Xianjun;

MIS Quarterly, 2004, Volume 28, Issue 2, Page 149-159.

In this paper we argue that a large gray area of information systems research exists, whose relevance to the information technology artifact is subject to significant debate even among IS scholars who support the essential role of the IT artifact. As we explain, not explicitly addressing this gray area can have negative, although often inadvertent, effects on the innovative nature of IS research; we explore this danger through three pitfalls. We then propose a stance of strategic ambiguity to deal with the gray area. Strategic ambiguity calls for deliberately withholding judgment on the relevance of research in the gray area and acceptance of gray-area research provided it meets the excellence required by professional journals. We believe that strategic ambiguity benefits innovative IS research without harming the essential role of the IT artifact.

Keywords: gray area; IS discipline; IT artifact; strategic ambiguity

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#21	0.488	research information systems science field discipline researchers principles practice core methods area reference relevance conclude set focus propose perspective inquiry
#246	0.122	strategic benefits economic benefit potential systems technology long-term applications competitive company suggest additional companies industry operating costs difficult substantial total
#298	0.090	job employees satisfaction work role turnover employee organizations organizational information ambiguity characteristics personnel stress professionals conflict organization intention variables systems