Analysis of Two Theoretical Perspectives on Information Systems Development: Towards an Integrated Perspective

In this paper, we analyze two theoretical perspectives and investigate their explanatory power on information systems development (ISD) projects. Building upon a case study, we illustrate that the perspectives of ISD as an economic transformation process and ISD as complex problem solving address different but complementary ISD phenomena. By integrating both theoretical perspectives, we are able to analyze and predict more ISD phenomena than each of the theories individually. Therefore, the contribution of this paper is twofold. Firstly, it supports researchers in their selection of a theory when addressing ISD phenomena. Secondly, it serves as an example of how researchers can develop a new theoretical perspective to address a phenomenon of interest not covered appropriately by existing theories.

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