[AISWorld] 2nd Call for 4th Concurrent SIGPhil-2nd Call ICIS 2014 Workshop "IS Theory: Where Does It Come From and Where Is It Going?"

[Nik R Hassan]

Dear Colleagues,
If you're looking for an exciting program at ICIS 2014, I'd like to invite
you to the SIG Philosophy's popular evening workshop at ICIS this year
(below) featuring (in presentation order) Leslie Willcocks, David Avison,
Shirley Gregor, Rudy Hirschheim, and Allen Lee. These panelists will be
discussing interesting developments in IS theorizing. So if your ICIS
submission didn't quite get accepted, or just want to socialize with
thought leaders in IS, please consider attending this workshop and perhaps
submitting a paper (paper not required to attend workshop, deadline Sept
10) and you can get a friendly review before submitting to the new
Theorizing Track at ECIS in Germany. Dinner and intelligent conversations
included.

Looking forward to see you join us,
Nik R. Hassan

4th Concurrent ICIS-SIGPHIL Workshop on IS Theory: Whence Cometh, Whither
Goeth?
(Where does it come from and where is it going?)

In conjunction with the 2014 International Conference of Information
Systems (ICIS), the AIS Special Interest Group on Philosophy in Information
Systems (AIS-SIGPHIL) will hold its 4th Concurrent-ICIS SIGPHIL Research
Workshop during two evenings of the ICIS conference at the Auckland
Business School, Auckland, New Zealand. Although labeled as a workshop,
this event provides an opportunity to attend the ICIS conference and at the
same time spend quality time with thought leaders of the IS community in an
informal and friendly environment.
Workshop Presenters And Organizing Committee (in alphabetical order)

David Avison, Essec Business School, France

Shirley Gregor, Australian National University, Australia

Nik R. Hassan, University of Minnesota Duluth, USA

Rudy Hirschheim, Louisiana State University, USA

Allen Lee, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA

Alan Litchfield, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand

Julien Malaurent, Essec Business School, France

Mary Tate, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Leslie Willcocks, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
Program

Although the question of IS theory has been discussed since the inception
of the field, this past few years has seen a growing interest in theory
building and theorizing within the IS community. This growing interest is
reflected in landmark articles (Gregor 2006; Gregor and Jones 2007),
panels (Grover
et al. 2012; Mueller et al. 2012), a new theorizing track at ECIS 2014,
discussions on how theories could be faithfully adapted from other
disciplines (Truex et al. 2006), whether or not IS actually has developed
native theories (Grover 2012; Straub 2012) and how to enhance theories and
theorizing in IS (Kuechler and Vaishnavi 2012; Mueller and Urbach 2013;
Weber 2012). Riding on this momentum, the 4th Concurrent ICIS-SIGPHIL 2014
Workshop will focus on what it means to have theories in IS, the need if
any for theory, possible "obsession" and proliferation of theory in IS, all
forms of theory, and where theory is heading in IS. The workshop will
explore these important issues surrounding theories and theorizing
beginning on the first evening with an introduction by Leslie Willcocks,
Editor-in-Chief of the *Journal of Information Technology* followed by a
keynote presentation by David Avison and Julien Malaurent on their recent
article, "Is theory king?: Questioning the theory fetish in Information
Systems" and Shirley Gregor's response, "Theory – Still king but needing a
revolution!"



Most everyone will agree that research in IS should be truly original,
challenging and exciting, but as Avison and Malaurent (2014) note, that may
not be the case even in our leading journals. Is the emphasis on theory to
be blamed for this apparent triviality and restrictiveness of IS research?
Or do we need, as Avison and Malaurent (2014) propose, a lesser emphasis on
theory in the form of research that are "theory light" to bring IS out its
doldrums? Shirley Gregor will present in the panel her concerns that such
an approach may take the IS field down a "dangerous path" where theory
plays no significant part in research. Instead, she will explain the need
for better theorizing and epistemological maturity in research practices.
Rudy Hirschheim, representing the IS community, will present his views as
an observer of this debate that need to seriously consider all sides of the
argument. The panelists will then respond to questions and comments from
the audience.



The second evening of the workshop will feature a keynote presentation by
Allen Lee titled, "Theory is king. But first, what is theory?" elaborating
on lesser known forms of theory in IS, especially in qualitative and
interpretive research, that may be able address some of the concerns
discussed during the first evening panel. The keynote speech is followed by
comments from Leslie Willcocks and a question and answer session with the
audience. Several short paper presentations from the SIG Philosophy
community will close the program.



*Sun, Dec 14, 2014, Room: TBD*

6:00-7:30pm ICIS reception

7:30-7:40pm Introduction by Prof. Leslie Willcocks

7:40-8:15pm Keynote Presentation by Profs. David Avison and Julien
Malaurent "Is theory king?: Questioning the theory fetish in Information
Systems"

8:15-9:30pm Panel discussion with panelists Prof. Shirley Gregor "Theory –
Still king but needing a revolution!" and Prof. Rudy Hirschheim
"Observations from the Front Line."

9:30-10:00pm Open Discussion



*Mon, Dec 15, 2014, Room: TBD*

6:00-7:00pm Dinner [Location TBD]

7:30-8:15pm Keynote Presentation by Prof. Allen Lee, "Theory is king. But
first, what is theory?"

8:15-8:45pm Comments from Prof. Leslie Willcocks and Q&A with audience

8:45-10:00pm Workshop paper reviews

List of papers and discussants to follow

10:00pm Workshop wrap-up
Workshop Paper Reviews

We invite you to submit your philosophy-related works, or works-in-progress
to be reviewed by selected discussants. Papers can be as short as 2 pages
or full-length papers. Papers should be designed to encourage in-depth
discussion during the workshop. Submitting authors will present their
papers and discussants will be selected to discuss each paper. We are
particularly interested in papers that are close to the theme of the
workshop, in particular papers that address theories and theorizing in IS.
However, we welcome all papers on any IS philosophy-related topics. This
workshop also provides an early review for authors interested in submitting
to the Advance Theories and Theorizing Track at the ECIS 2015 Conference in
Germany. Doctoral students and junior faculty members are especially
encouraged to submit their research. Student papers will be given special
consideration. The SIGPhil can provide written confirmation for authors
needing support for conference travel. Submit all papers to the EasyChair
conference site https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=sigphilicis2014
before September 10th, 2014.



*Important Information and dates:*

Register for ICIS Conference and workshop as early as possible

Workshop Registration Fee: $80 includes one dinner

Submission deadline
https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=sigphilicis2014 for workshop
papers: September 10th, 2014

Decision on papers: September 30th, 2014

Discussant for paper appointed: October 15th, 2014

SIGPhil Home Page: http://sigphil.wordpress.com
Background

Association for Information Systems (AIS) Special Interest Group on
Philosophy in IS (SIGPhil)

The SIGPhil provides a focal point for philosophy-related topics and
discussions in information systems (IS) research that are currently
dispersed over many conference proceedings, journals and books. By drawing
on the philosophical literature, the SIGPhil seeks to strengthen the
exchange of ideas and community ties within the AIS and with other
disciplines, especially the human, cultural and social sciences, and
ultimately enhance IS research and the application of research results.
Home page: http://sigphil.wordpress.com
References

Avison, D., and Malaurent, J. 2014. "Is Theory King?: Questioning the
Theory Fetish in Information Systems," *Journal of Information Technology*
(doi:10.1057/jit.2014.8), May 6 pp. 1-10.

Gregor, S. "Theory – Still King but Needing a Revolution!," *Journal of
Information Technology* (In Print).

Gregor, S. 2006. "The Nature of Theory in Information Systems," *MIS
Quarterly* (30:3) pp. 611-642.

Gregor, S., and Jones, D. 2007. "The Anatomy of a Design Theory," *Journal
of the AIS* (8:5) pp. 312-335.

Grover, V. 2012. "The Information Systems Field: Making a Case for Maturity
and Contribution," *Journal of the Association for Information Systems*
(13:4) pp. 254-272.

Grover, V., Lyytinen, K., and Weber, R. 2012. "Panel on Native IS
Theories," *Special Interest Group on Philosophy and Epistemology in IS
(SIGPHIL) Workshop on IS Theory: State of the Art*, Orlando, FL, Dec 16-19.

Kuechler, W., and Vaishnavi, V. 2012. "A Framework for Theory Development
in Design Science Research: Multiple Perspectives," *Journal of the
Association for Information Systems* (13:6) pp. 395-423.

Mueller, B., Raeth, P., Faraj, S., Kautz, K., Robey, D., and Schultze, U.
2012. "On the Methodological and Philosophical Challenges of Sociomaterial
Theorizing: An Overview of Competing Conceptualizations," *International
Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2012), Dec 16-19*, Orlando, FL from
http://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2012/proceedings/Panels/3/.

Mueller, B., and Urbach, N. 2013. "The Why, What, and How of Theories in IS
Research," *International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2013),
Dec 15-18*, Milan, Italy from
http://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2013/proceedings/ResearchMethods/8/, pp. 1-25.

Straub, D. 2012. "Editorial: Does MIS Have Native Theories," *MIS Quarterly*
(36:2) pp. iii-xii.

Truex, D.P., Holmström, J., and Keil, M. 2006. "Theorizing in Information
Systems Research: A Reflexive Analysis of the Adaptation of Theory in
Information Systems Research," *Journal of the AIS* (7:12) pp. 797-821.

Weber, R. 2012. "Evaluating and Developing Theories in the Information
Systems Discipline," *Journal of the AIS* (13:1) pp. 1-30.

-- 
Nik Rushdi Hassan, PhD
Assoc. Professor, Finance & MIS Dept.
Labovitz School of Business and Economics
University of Minnesota Duluth
1318 Kirby Drive, LSBE 335Q
Duluth MN 55812
Office Phone: (218) 726-7453
Fax: (218) 726-7516
Home Page: www.d.umn.edu/~nhassan
Email: nhassan at d.umn.edu
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nikrushdi/

<http://www.linkedin.com/in/nikrushdi/>
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