The Legacy of Power and Politics in Disciplinary Discourse: A Citation Analysis

Within Information Systems (IS), as with all other scientific communities, the publication of original research is the primary mode of communication. One characteristic of such communication is the use of references. Yet, scientific communities differ in the ways their members use citations to position their own contribution. In this paper, we examine the following questions: What can we learn about the discursive practices within IS by investigating ways in which the community has drawn upon one of its classics? How can such an analysis inform us as authors, reviewers, and active members of the discipline? To address these questions, we analyze over 300 citations extending over two decades to one of the most widely-cited works in the field – Markus’s “Power, Politics, and MIS Implementation”. We apply a wide range of citation analysis techniques to understand how IS researchers have used the article to support or to frame their contribution. Our analysis reveals the impact of social construction in shaping our discursive practices. This observation has several implications for improving IS research