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Theoretical perspectives in IS research: from variance and process to conceptual latitude and conceptual fit

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  • Andrew Burton-Jones
  • Ephraim R McLean
  • Emmanuel Monod

Abstract

There has been growing interest in theory building in Information Systems (IS) research. We extend this literature by examining theory building perspectives. We define a perspective as a researcher’s choice of the types of concepts and relationships used to construct a theory, and we examine three perspectives – process, variance, and systems. We contribute by clarifying these perspectives and explaining how they can be used more flexibly in future research. We illustrate the value of this more flexible approach by showing how researchers can use different theoretical perspectives to critique and extend an existing theoretical model (in our case, the IS Success Model). Overall, we suggest a shift from the traditional process-variance dichotomy to a broader view defined by conceptual latitude (the types of concepts and relationships available) and conceptual fit (the types of concepts and relationships appropriate for a given study). We explain why this shift should help researchers as they engage in the knowledge generation process.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Burton-Jones & Ephraim R McLean & Emmanuel Monod, 2015. "Theoretical perspectives in IS research: from variance and process to conceptual latitude and conceptual fit," European Journal of Information Systems, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(6), pages 664-679, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:tjisxx:v:24:y:2015:i:6:p:664-679
    DOI: 10.1057/ejis.2014.31
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    Cited by:

    1. Emily McDowell & Matthew Pepper & Albert Munoz Aneiros, 2023. "Towards a theory of self‐organizing supply chain clusters," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(1), pages 88-100, January.
    2. Isaac Vaghefi & Bogdan Negoita & Liette Lapointe, 2023. "The Path to Hedonic Information System Use Addiction: A Process Model in the Context of Social Networking Sites," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 34(1), pages 85-110, March.
    3. Gjoko Stamenkov, 2023. "Recommendations for improving research quality: relationships among constructs, verbs in hypotheses, theoretical perspectives, and triangulation," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(3), pages 2923-2946, June.
    4. M. Lynne Markus & Frantz Rowe, 2018. "Is IT changing the world?," Post-Print hal-03716243, HAL.
    5. Ernestine Dickhaut & Mahei Manhai Li & Andreas Janson & Jan Marco Leimeister, 2022. "The role of design patterns in the development and legal assessment of lawful technologies," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 32(4), pages 2311-2331, December.
    6. Sutton, Steve G. & Arnold, Vicky & Holt, Matthew, 2023. "An extension of the theory of technology dominance: Capturing the underlying causal complexity," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).

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