Social Theory and Philosophy for Information Systems

As Information Systems matures as a discipline, there is a gradual move away from pure statistics towards consideration of alternative approaches and philosophies. This has not been incorporated into the literature of the field. Until now. Collecting major social theorists and philosophers into one volume, Social Theory and Philosophy for Information Systems provides a historical and critical analysis of each that is both authoritative and firmly focused on practical relevance to IS. The result is an insightful text for researchers, academics and students that will provide an up-to-date starting point for those considering alternative approaches. List of Contributors.

Series Preface.

Preface.

1. Thinking about Social Theory and Philosophy for Information Systems (Allen S. Lee).

2. Fit for Function: Functionalism, Neofunctionalism and Information Systems (M. Lynne Markus).

3. Phenomenology, Screens, and the World: A Journey with Husserl and Heidegger into Phenomenology (Lucas D. Introna and Fernando M. Ilharco).

4. Hermeneutics in Information Systems Research (Michael D. Myers).

5. Adorno: A Critical Theory for IS Research (Stephen K. Probert).

6. The Critical Social Theory of J ¨ urgen Habermas and its Implications for IS Research (Heinz K. Klein and Minh Q. Huynh).

7. Foucault, Power/Knowledge and Information Systems: Reconstructing the Present (Leslie P. Willcocks).

8. Structuration Theory and Information Systems: A Critical Reappraisal (Matthew Jones, Wanda Orlikowski and Kamal Munir).

9. WhatWe May Learn from the Social Shaping of Technology Approach (Debra Howcroft, Nathalie Mitev and Melanie Wilson).

10. Re-establishing the Real: Critical Realism and Information Systems (John Mingers).

11. Complexity and Information Systems (Yasmin Merali).

Index.

"...I would highly recommend that all libraries...acquire a copy of this book..." (Journal of the Operational Research Society, No 57, 2006) John Mingers is Professor of OR and Information Systems and Director of Research at Kent Business School, University of Kent, UK. His research interests include the use of systems methodologies in problem situations, particularly the mixing of different methodologies within an intervention (multimethodology); the development of critical realism as a philosophy for information systems; the development of theory concerning the nature of information and meaning; and autopoiesis and its applications. He has published several books, including Self-Producing Systems: Implications and Applications of Autopoiesis and Information Systems: An Emerging Discipline? (with Professor Frank Stowell).

Leslie P. Willcocks is Professor of Information Management at Warwick Business School. He received a doctorate from the University of Cambridge, is visiting professor at Erasmus and Melbourne Universities, and joint Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Information Technology. He is co-author of 23 books and has published over 140 papers in journals ranging from Harvard Business Review to MIS Quarterly, MISQ Executive and Journal of Management Studies. His research interests include organizational issues, politics, outsourcing, implementation, e-business and evaluation.

This volume aims to widen the imagination of information systems researchers in addressing questions about fundamental relationships between philosophy, social theory and technology.

Each chapter is written by an expert/experts in both IS and the particular line of thinking under review. Lee provides a ground clearing introduction to the philosophy of science. Markus critically appraises the promise that still lies within functionalism and neo-functionalism. Introna and Ilharco discuss Husserl's and Heidegger's phenomenology in relation to 'the screen'. Myers, Probert, and Klein and Huynh reveal the abiding applicability of hermeneutics, Adorno's and Habermas's critical social theory respectively. Willcocks details the evolution of Foucault's mode of thinking and its usefulness, including essential concepts of power/knowledge, genealogy, the disciplinary society and technology.

Jones and colleagues reconsider structuration theory, and provide considerable insight into Giddens' later thinking and its role in IS. Howcroft and her co-authors focus on the social shaping of technology approaches, including actor network theory, while Mingers brings critical realism into play suggesting that it can provide an underlying philosophy for information systems. Finally, Merali details and assesses an area strangely neglected by IS researchers, namely complexity theory. Overall the book provides a rich, insightful and critical set of fresh, key contributions to the study of technology and information systems.

In recent years information systems has evolved from a discipline based primarily on positivist, statistically-oriented research into a more pluralist discipline that allows debates about research methodologies; consideration of a range of social theories and philosophies; and more critical analyses and understandings of alternative approaches.

This book has the intention of broadening research within the IS field. It collects together into one volume new critical assessments of major social theorists, philosophers and currents of thought. Detailed coverage is given to: functionalism and neo-functionalism, phenomenology (Husserl and Heidegger), critical theory (Adorno and Habermas), hermeneutics, Foucault, Giddens, actor network theory, social shaping of technology, critical realism and complexity theory. The book provides a vital, accessible and critically authoritative narrative on the relevance of these modes of thinking to information systems research.

Contributors include:

Debra Howcroft, Minh Q. Huynh, Fernando M. Ilharco, Lucas D. Introna, Matthew Jones, Heinz K. Klein, Allen S. Lee, M. Lynne Markus, Yasmin Merali, John Mingers, Nathalie Mitev, Kamal Munir, Michael D. Myers, Wanda Orlikowski, Stephen K. Probert, Leslie P. Willcocks, Melanie Wilson.