General Systems Theory: A Guiding Framework for IS Research

General systems theory (GST) holds the potential to address some of the issues that information systems (IS) field faces today. This paper addresses the question whether the concepts, principles and approaches prevalent in GST can be gainfully employed for studying and conducting research in IS. Using the concepts embedded in GST, we analyze the problem of “fragmented adhocracy” in IS research. We describe how the various disparate and apparently incongruent viewpoints and findings that have emerged from IS research can be organized, reconciles and leveraged using systems concepts. We also show the utility of the systems approach in studying and analyzing IS problems, specifically the IS value problem. In conclusion, we suggest that systems concepts, and therefore GST, can be applied at two levels in IS field – firstly, for helping understand and organize the body of knowledge in IS and secondly, as a guide for conducting IS research.