The role of theory adaptation in the making of a reference discipline

Article history: Received 8 February 2013 Received in revised form 15 April 2015 Accepted 29 April 2015 Available online 29 May 2015 Information Systems (IS) scholars repeatedly debate the nature of the IS discipline. A series of articles have debated whether the IS field has become a reference discipline. While many scholars have argued this question from a perceptual point of view, we address it by examining the role of theory adaptation in the making of a reference discipline. Based on a review of how the sensemaking theory from organization studies is adapted and used in IS research, we show that papers that adapt and use sensemaking theory as a central construct in the theoretical framework – in other words – engaging in theory adaptation, have a higher probability of being referenced by other disciplines. Finally, we discuss the implications of the manner in which IS scholars borrow theory regarding the IS discipline's prospects of becoming a reference discipline. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.