In 1984, Working Group 8.2 of the International Federation for
Information Processing (IFIP) threw down the gauntlet at its Manchester
conference, challenging the traditionalist orthodoxy with its uncommon
research approaches and topics. Manchester 1984, followed by research
methods conferences in Copenhagen (1990) and Philadelphia (1997), marked
the growing legitimacy of the linguistic and qualitative turns in
Information Systems research and played a key role in making qualitative
methods a respected part of IS research. As evidenced by the papers in
this volume, Working Group 8.2 conferences showcase fresh thinking,
provocative sessions, and intellectual stimulation. The spirited, at
times boisterous, and always enlivening debate has turned WG8.2
conferences into life-changing and discipline-changing inspirational
events.
Information Systems Research: Relevant Theory and Informed Practice
comprises the edited proceedings of the WG8.2 conference, "Relevant
Theory and Informed Practice: Looking Forward from a 20-Year Perspective
on IS Research," which was sponsored by IFIP and held in Manchester,
England, in July 2004. The conference attracted a record number of
high-quality manuscripts, all of which were subjected to a rigorous
reviewing process in which four to eight track chairs, associate
editors, and reviewers thoughtfully scrutinized papers by the highly
regarded as well as the newcomers. No person or idea was considered
sacrosanct and no paper made it through this process unscathed. All
authors were asked to revise the accepted papers, some more than once;
thus, good papers got better. With only 29 percent of the papers
accepted, these proceedings are significantly more selective than is
typical of many conference proceedings.
This volume is organized in 7 sections, with 33 full research papers
providing panoramic views and reflections on the Information Systems
(IS) discipline followed by papers featuring critical interpretive
studies, action research, theoretical perspectives on IS research, and
the methods and politics of IS development. Also included are 6 panel
descriptions and a new category of "bright idea" position papers, 11 in
all, wherein main points are summarized in a pithy and provocative
fashion.