Theory borrowing in IT-rich contexts: Lessons from IS strategy research

Abstract

While indigenous theorizing in IS has clear merits, theory borrowing will not, and should not, be eschewed given its appeal and usefulness. In this paper, we aim at increasing our understanding of modifying of borrowed theories in IT-rich contexts. We present a framework in which we discuss how two recontextualization approaches of specification and distinction help with increasing the IT-richness of borrowed constructs and relationships. In doing so, we use several illustrative examples from IS strategy. The framework can be used by researchers as a tool to explore the multitude of ways in which a theory from another discipline can yield understanding of IT phenomena.<br