[AISWorld] On the excess of micro-theories for the advance and theoretical consolidation of IS/IT discipline

[Manuel Mora T.]

Dear colleagues of ISWorld,
Yesterday, I posted an email on the lack of structure and acummulation
of theoretical knowledge in our discipline. A natural breadth of themes,
given the diversity and convergence of IT and IC, plus the diversity of
backgrounds on IT Faculty, and the natural interaction with other core
disciplines like Management Science (including OR, Decision Sciences, and
general business management sciences), Pychology, Economy, Software
Engineering and Computer Science, could be tested as co-productors of it.
However, a call for establishing a basic set of agreed concepts and
schemes/frameworks on IS/IT discipline is needed (endoresed by 7 top
journals and Seniority IT community). Textbooks on IS/IT need report it.
As potential action, top 7 journals ask endorse one of the available
best IT/IS research frameworks, and ask to any submitter to explain
how their research contributes to advance our knowledge on such
frameworks (i.g. to refine the IT knowledge branches). Even competitive
models can be added to this IT knowledge tree (but in a coherent and
organized mode). It is possible also we need to mature on teaching and
research value system. I mean, in management science competitive models
are considered alternatives and useful for specific cases, but we have
developed a "cruel" logical reasoning line of prefering a model and
consider the another one as inferior. It is absurd but it happens
every day. In summary, my kind and humble suggestion on the
IT research frameworks to be endorsed is the following:

(i)   Ives, Hamilton & Davis et al's theoretical model on an IS (general
systemic model) (1980)
(ii) Nolan & Wetherbe's Framework (1980)
(iii) Silver, Markus and Beath's IT Scheme (1995)
(iv) Work System Alter's scheme

With such an endorsement, any published paper should mandatory report as
it contributes to advance our core set (of unique or competitive)
theoretical knowledge on IT/IS research/generated, taught and used. I
believe it is time to accept, endorse, and support a minimal set of core
theoretical concepts and schemes, and avoid the expansion of disperse and
disparated micro-knowledge despite it be reported with an excellent level
of English and uses a strict research method. It is not useful for
advancing IT.

Thanks. Sincerely,
Dr. Manuel Mora
PS. Apologies by typos.

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Manuel Mora, EngD.
Full Professor and Researcher "C" Level
Autonomous University of Aguascalientes
Ave. Universidad 940
Aguascalientes, Ags.
México 20100
www.uaa.mx
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