Defining MIS :
An Evolutionary
Perspective
Outline
• Introduction
• Background
• Methodology
• Analysis
• Limitations and Discussion
Introduction
• Evolution of MIS
- Amalgamation of Disciplines
- Consistent changes to the pillars
- Origins of MIS and Scholars
• Evolutionary approach.
Background
• Errors of Inclusion and Exclusion (Benbasat and
Zmud 2003).
• Deviation from the IT Artifact (Orlikowski and Iacano
2001).
• Considerable diversity in topics (Vessey et al 2002).
Previous Years’ Work
• Subdomain definitions
• Most have highlighted key researchers
• Other systematic examinations in recent years
Methodology
• H-Index Analysis
o Publish or Perish and Google Scholar
o 1970 - 2010
• Top Paper Analysis
o Same data as H-Index Analysis
• Keyword and Topic Analysis
o JMIS, MISQ and ISR
o 1990 – 2010
o Nine Pillars
H-Index Analysis
• 297 Researchers
o 125 MIS researchers, as defined by Hsinchun Chen
o 172 Reference Discipline researchers as defined by past projects and our
own research
• H-Index data from Google Scholar via Publish or Perish
• Data entered into SQL database
• Custom web application (Researcher Researcher) to
determine H-Index for five year time slices between 1970
and 2011
Researcher Researcher Demo
Paper Citation Analysis
• Same dataset used for h-index analysis
• 74,253 unique papers
• Extracted top 10 papers for each time slice
Keyword Analysis
•
•
•
•
1,765 papers from MISQ, JMIS, and ISR from ‘90 – ‘11
15,044 total Keywords
5,699 unique keywords
2,473 keywords after removing corrupt data, generic
terms and combining similar terms (e.g., HCI and
CHI)
Keyword Analysis
• Key Word Collection
- Articles between 1990-2010.
• Data Preparation
• Classification (Round 1)
• Pillar Adjustments
• Classification (Round 2)
• Cross Checking
• Analysis
Pillars
Artificial Intelligence/Knowledge
Management
Behavior and Psychology
Collaboration and Communication
Database and Data Management
Economics of Informatics
Finance and Commerce
Organizational Issues, Management
Issues, Decision Science
Policy, Ethics, and Social Issues
Systems Analysis, Design, and
Development
Representative Keywords
Pillar
Artificial Intelligence, Knowledge Management, and Information
Retrieval
Behavior and Psychology
Collaboration and Communication
Representative Keywords
artificial intelligence, content analysis, machine learning, knowledge
management, search and retrieval, information quality, information
and knowledge visualization
acceptance and use, behavioral intentions, cognition and decision
making, consumer/employee behaviors, group behaviors, humancomputer interaction, motivations, perceptions, trust
collaboration, collective decision making, communication media,
computer-mediated communication, group performance, idea
generation,
Database and Data Management
Data management, data mining, data models, data processing,
database performance, relational model, metadata
Economics of Informatics
Business Value of IT, economics of information systems, market
economics, information economy, information costs, information
advantage
Finance and Commerce
Auctions, e-commerce, electronic markets, buyer-seller relationships,
B2B, B2C, mobile commerce, auction pricing
Organizational Issues, Management Issues, Decision Science
supply chain management, decision strategies, sustainability,
industrial management, firm innovation, organizational optimization,
risk management
Policy, Ethics, and Social Issues
Business ethics, IT controls, digital rights management, fraud, law,
information privacy, societal impacts of IS
Systems Analysis, Design, and Development
computer programming, software development, CASE tools, IS project
management, IS infrastructure, system analysis, requirements
definition, system implementation
Limitations
Limitations - Journals
Limitations - Authors
VS
Limitations - Industry
Analysis &
Results
Time Slice Results
1970 – 1974 At A Glance
Top MIS Publications
• A program for research on management information systems
(Mason) - 1973, 629 Citations
• Management information systems: appreciation and involvement
(Swanson) - 1974, 423 Citations
• Operating systems (Madnick) - 1974, 221 Citations
• Curriculum recommendations for undergraduate programs in
information systems (Cougar) - 1973, 136 Citations
• An algorithm for the quadratic assignment problem
(Whinston) - 1970, 123 Citations
• System analysis techniques (Cougar) - 1974, 104 Citations
• Evolution of business system analysis techniques
(Cougar) - 1973, 103 Citations
• Fuzzy sets and social choice (Whinston) - 1973, 89 Citations
• Job satisfaction: A study of computer specialists (Mumford) - 1972,
82 Citations
Top Researchers by H-Index*
MIS
Reference
Henry C. Lucas
George Wright
Enid Mumford
Stuart Madnick
J. Daniel Cougar
9
7
7
6
6
Herbert Simon
Gerard Salton
Donald Norman
Allen Newell
Roger Schank
* H-Index reflects only papers written during this time period
Key Notes
• MIS emerging as a discipline
• Much research in Systems Analysis and
Design
• Computer science and data research are
hot topics
Pillar Distribution
28
17
14
13
13
1975 – 1979 At A Glance
Top MIS Publications
• Chief executives define their own data needs.
(Rockart) - 1979, 1738 Citations
• Individual differences and MIS success: A review of the empirical
literature (Zmud) - 1979, 610 Citations
• Edge preserving smoothing (Nagao) - 1979, 397 Citations
• Strategic planning for management information systems
(King) - 1978, 392 Citations
• User attitudes and management information system use
(Robey) - 1979, 392 Citations
• The dimensions of maintenance (Swanson) - 1976, 367 Citations
• Computer systems in work design-the ETHICS method
(Mumford) - 1979, 360 Citations
• Performance and the Use of an Information System
(Lucas) - 1975, 301 Citations
• Characteristics of application software maintenance
(Swanson) - 1978, 293 Citations
Key Notes
• Lucas and Mumford carry over as influential
researchers from 1970-1974
• Herb Simon wins Nobel Prize in 1978
• Still heavily computer science influenced
Top Researchers by H-Index*
MIS
Reference
Andrew Whinston
William R. King
Henry C. Lucas
Kenneth Kraemer
Enid Mumford
14
13
11
11
10
Herbert Simon
Donald Norman
Roger Schank
John McCarthy
Peter Chen
33
19
19
18
15
* H-Index reflects only papers written during this time period
Pillar Distribution
1980 – 1984 At A Glance
Top MIS Publications
• The measurement of user information satisfaction
(Ives) - 1983, 1142 Citations
• User involvement and MIS success: a review of research
(Ives) - 1984, 894 Citations
• The information system as a competitive weapon
(Ives) - 1984, 679 Citations
• Social analyses of computing: Theoretical perspectives in recent
empirical research (Kling) - 1980, 653 Citations
• Software maintenance management
(Swanson) - 1980, 649 Citations
• Query optimization in database systems
(Jarke) - 1984, 613 Citations
• Strategies for information requirements determination
(Davis) - 1982, 561 Citations
• The web of computing: Computer technology as social
organization (Kling) - 1982, 528 Citations
Key Notes
• Blake Ives authors the three most cited MIS
papers of the time period
• William King’s second consecutive time
period to be in the top
• This marks the beginning of a twenty year
run of Matthias Jarke and a fifteen year run
of Ronald Rice as top researchers
Top Researchers by H-Index*
MIS
Reference
Ronald Rice
Rob Kling
Robert Blanning
Blake Ives
William R. King
Matthias Jarke
15
14
14
14
13
13
Herbert Simon
David Clark
Ward Whitt
John McCarthy
Peter Chen
Donald Norman
26
24
24
21
21
21
* H-Index reflects only papers written during this time period
Pillar Distribution
1985 – 1989 At A Glance
Top MIS Publications
• The case research strategy in studies of information systems
(Benbasat) - 1987, 2242 Citations
• Measurement of business performance in strategy research: A
comparison of approaches (Venkatraman) - 1986, 1689 Citations
• Information technology and organizational change: causal
structure in theory and research
(Robey, markus) - 1988, 1365 Citations
• The concept of fit in strategy research: Toward verbal and
statistical correspondence (Venkatraman) - 1989, 1270 Citations
• Validating instruments in MIS research
(Straub) - 1989, 1131 Citations
• Management strategies for information technology
(Earl) - 1989, 1026 Citations
• Toward a “critical mass” theory of interactive media
(Markus) - 1987, 914 Citations
Top Researchers by H-Index*
MIS
Reference
Jay Nunamaker
Kenneth Kraemer
Matthias Jarke
N. Venkatraman
Ronald Rice
21
18
17
17
16
David Clark
Herbert Simon
John McCarthy
Allen Newell
Ward Whitt
39
34
25
25
21
* H-Index reflects only papers written during this time period
Key Notes
• Jay Nunamaker hits the list for a 10 year run
in the top five list (and remains in the top
overall thereafter).
• Many of the top papers discuss research
and academic issues
Pillar Distribution
1990 – 1994 At A Glance
Top MIS Publications
• Information systems success: the quest for the dependent variable
(Mclean) – 1992, 3908 Citations
• Process innovation: reengineering work through information
technology (Davenport) – 1993, 3370 Citations
• Development of an instrument to measure the perceptions of
adopting an information technology innovation
(Benbasat) – 1991, 2780 Citations
• The duality of technology: Rethinking the concept of technology in
organizations (Orlikowski) – 1992, 2527 Citations
• Strategic alignment: Leveraging information technology for
transforming organizations
(Henderson, Venkatraman) – 1993, 1881 Citations
• Information technology implementation research: a technological
diffusion approach (Zmud) – 1990, 1511 Citations
• Electronic meeting systems (Dennis, Nunamaker, George, Vogel,
Valacich) – 1991, 1483 Citations
•
•
•
•
Key Notes
Nunamaker on top with 60 publications
Electronic Meeting Systems – UA
Increasing focus on communication and
collaboration
First year the research team has keyword
data for topic analysis
Top Researchers by H-Index*
MIS
Reference
Jay Nunamaker
Ronald Rice
Jonathan Grudin
Alan R. Dennis
N. Venkawtraman
Matthias Jarke
26
25
23
23
20
20
Magid Igbaria
David Clark
Ward Whitt
Jakob Nielsen
Herbert Simon
John McCarthy
Peter Chen
38
35
33
32
30
30
30
* H-Index reflects only papers written during this time period
Pillar Distribution
AI (17%)
Behavioral (14%)
Communication
(10%)
Database (4%)
Econometrics (8%)
Commerce (2%)
Operations (18%)
Policy (7%)
Systems Analysis
and Design (19%)
1995 – 1999 At A Glance
Top MIS Publications
• Putting the enterprise into the enterprise system
(Davenport) - 1998, 2504 Citations
• Communication and trust in global virtual teams
(Leidner, Jarvenpaa) - 1998, 1909 Citations
• Sucessful knowledge management projects
(Davenport) - 1999, 1886 Citations
• Consumer Trust in an Internet Store: A Cross-Cultural Validation
(Jarvenpaa) - 1999, 1603 Citations
• Perspective making and perspective taking in communities of
knowing (Boland) - 1995, 1416 Citations
• Paradox lost? Firm-level evidence on the returns to information
systems spending (Hitt) - 1996, 1399 Citations
• Information technology adoption across time: a cross-sectional
comparison of pre-adoption and post-adoption beliefs
(Karahanna, Straub) - 1999, 1355 Citations
Top Researchers by H-Index*
MIS
Reference
Andrew Whinston 30
Varun Grover
29
Hsinchun Chen
26
Matthias Jarke
21
Micahel J. Shaw
21
Tosiyasu Kunii
21
Thomas Davenport 21
David Clark
John McCarthy
Peter Chen
Magid Igbaria
Herbert Simon
47
43
43
36
33
* H-Index reflects only papers written during this time period
•
•
•
•
Key Notes
Hsinchun Chen moves into the top MIS
researchers list for a 17+ year run
Herb Simon’s last year in the top list
(Simon passes away in 2001)
Rise in e-commerce related research
Four top papers published by Thomas
Davenport and Srikka Jarvenpaa
Pillar Distribution
AI (13%) -4%
Behavioral (13%) -1%
Communication (13%) +3%
Database (3%) -1%
Econometrics (9%) +1%
Commerce (4%) +
2%
Operations (18%)
Policy (9%) +2%
Systems Analysis
and Design (18%) 1%
2000 – 2004 At A Glance
Top MIS Publications
• User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view
(Davis, Venkatesh) - 2003, 3944 Citations
• Review: Knowledge management and knowledge management
systems: Conceptual foundations and research issues
(Leidner, Alavi) - 2001, 3456 Citations
• A theoretical extension of the technology acceptance model: Four
longitudinal field studies (Venkatesh) - 2000, 3305 Citations
• Information technology and business process redesign
(Davenport) - 2003, 2416 Citations
• Design science in information systems research
(Hevner, Ram) - 2004, 2214 Citations
• The DeLone and McLean model of information systems success: A
ten-year update (Mclean) - 2003, 1984 Citations
• Information Technology, Workplace Organization, and the
Demand for Skilled Labor: Firm-Level Evidence*
(Hitt) - 2002, 1653 Citations
•
•
•
•
Key Notes
H. Chen, Irani, and Whinston all remain in
top five
Sudha Ram from UA publishes a top papers
H. Chen and Estrin are very productive
Significant research in e-commerce
Top Researchers by H-Index*
MIS
Reference
Hsinchun Chen
Zahir Irani
Kalle Lyytinen
Andrew Whinston
Gary Klein
David Gefen
37
28
26
25
25
25
Deborah Estrin
David Clark
Peter Chen
John McCarthy
Amit Sheth
73
46
45
38
34
* H-Index reflects only papers written during this time period
Pillar Distribution
AI (12%) -1%
Behavioral (20%)
+7%
Communication (12%) -1%
Database (3%)
Econometrics (11%) +2%
Commerce (8%) +
4%
Operations (15%) 3%
Policy (6%) -3%
Systems Analysis
and Design (14%) 4%
2005 – 2011 At A Glance
Top MIS Publications
• Toward the next generation of recommender systems: A survey of
the state-of-the-art and possible extensions
(Tuzhilin) - 2005, 2013 Citations
• Using technology and constituting structures: A practice lens for
studying technology in organizations
(Orlikowski) - 2008, 1779 Citations
• Desperately seeking the 'IT'in IT research: A call to theorizing the
IT artifact (Orlikowski) - 2006, 1203 Citations
• 14 IT-enabled Business Transformation: From Automation to
Business Scope Redefinition (Venkatraman) - 2005, 926 Citations
• Behavioral intention formation in knowledge sharing: Examining
the roles of extrinsic motivators, social-psychological forces, and
organizational climate (Zmud) - 2005, 778 Citations
• Information Technology For Management
(Leidner, Mclean) - 2008, 778 Citations
Top Researchers by H-Index*
MIS
Reference
Hsinchun Chen
E. W. T. Ngai
Robert Kauffman
Zahir Irani
Kenneth Kraemer
Izak Benbasat
25
22
20
19
19
19
Peter Chen
Amit Sheth
John McCarthy
Deborah Estrin
David Clark
38
31
29
28
25
* H-Index reflects only papers written during this time period
•
•
•
•
Key Notes
Hsinchun Chen remains top MIS researcher
W. Orlikowski has two highly cited papers
Considerable shake up amongst MIS
researchers
Reference researchers fairly stable
Pillar Distribution
AI (16%) +4%
Behavioral (16%) -4%
Communication (7%) -5%
Database (2%) -1%
Econometrics (13%) +2%
Commerce (13%) + 5%
Operations (13%) 2%
Policy (10%) +4%
Systems Analysis
and Design (11%) 3%
Results Over Time
Top Authors by h-index
MIS
Hsinchun Chen
Andrew B. Whinston
Ronald E. Rice
Izak Benbasat
Jay Nunamaker
Reference Disciplines
57
56
55
54
51
Herbert Simon
Deborah Estrin
John McCarthy
David Clark
Peter Chen
103
92
89
88
82
MIS Authors
40
35
30
25
Hsinchun Chen
Andrew Whinston
20
Ronald Rice
Izak Benbasat
15
Jay Nunamaker
10
5
0
70-74
75-79
80-84
85-89
90-94
95-99
00-04
2005-11
Reference Authors
80
70
60
Herbert Simon
50
Deborah Estrin
40
John McCarthy
David Clark
30
Peter Chen
20
10
0
70-74
75-79
80-84
85-89
90-94
95-99
00-04
2005-11
Trends Over Time
450
400
350
300
AI
Behave
Comm
250
Data
Econ
200
Commerc
Ops
Policy
150
SA&D
100
50
0
90-92
93-95
96-98
99-01
2002-04
2005-07
2008-10
Trends Over Time
450
400
350
300
250
Econ
Commerc
Ops
200
SA&D
150
100
50
0
90-92
93-95
96-98
99-01
2002-04
2005-07
2008-10
Trends Over Time
450
400
350
300
250
AI
Behave
Comm
200
Data
Policy
150
100
50
0
90-92
93-95
96-98
99-01
2002-04
2005-07
2008-10
Pillar Trends Over Time
100%
90%
80%
70%
SA&D
Policy
60%
Ops
Commerc
50%
Econ
Data
40%
Comm
Behave
AI
30%
20%
10%
0%
90-92
93-95
96-98
99-01
2002-04
2005-07
2008-10
90-94
05-11
Change
AI
17
16
-1
Behavioral
14
16
+2
Communicatio
n
10
7
-3
Database
4
2
-2
Econometrics
8
13
+5
Commerce
2
13
+11
Operations
18
13
-5
Policy
7
10
+3
SA&D
19
11
-8
2005-11
90-94
AI
AI
11%
Behave
17%
19%
Comm
Behave
16%
Comm
10%
Data
Data
7%
14%
Econ
16%
13%
Commerce
Commerce
18%
10%
Polic
8%
2%
Ops
4%
SA&D
Econ
7%
13%
13%
Ops
Polic
2%
SA&D
Discussion
Evolution of MIS
Evolving Definition of
MIS
Focus on the IT?
Focus on information?
The Future of MIS