Participation in the development of inter-organizational systems involving users outside the organization

User participation is usually discussed in the context of internal systems. This study places participation in an inter-organizational context where the intended users are outside the sponsoring organization. This paper uses case evidence to investigate whether factors identified in the user participation literature as contingency factors for participation are also associated with participation in the development of inter-organizational systems. It was found that previously identified factors are not predictors of participation or non-participation in the inter-organizational context. Instead, the case evidence suggests that the underlying reason for development of such systems was associated with participation or non-participation by intended users from outside the sponsoring organization.