The Challenge of Transdisciplinarity in Information Systems Research: Towards an Integrative Platform

Research in the Information Systems (IS) field has been characterised by the use of a variety of methods and theoretical underpinnings. This fact recently raised concerns about the rigour of scientific results of IS research and about the legitimacy of the IS academic field. On the other hand, a number of IS researchers has argued for a view that values diversity as a strength of the IS field. This paper supports this viewpoint and analyses the relation between IS research and concepts originating from theoretical debates around transdisciplinarity. We present results from a group of researchers of various disciplinary backgrounds towards an integrative platform for the orientation of transdisciplinary IS research. The Mikropolis platform provides researchers with a common language, allowing the integration of different perspectives through exchange of experiences and mutual understanding. We also report about a case study concerned with the development of a collaboration system for a virtual organisation, and discuss some practical issues that arise from the transdisciplinary cooperation in IS research.