Overcoming Variance and Process Distinctions in Information Systems Research

Most Information Systems research to date has been conducted from either a variance or a process perspective. On the one hand, some researchers argue that process and variance approaches should be kept separate, while others think they should be combined. In this paper, we argue that variance and process have more similarities than expected, and that combining them can have significant advantages for the field. We propose a ‘blended’ hybrid approach in which elements of both variance and process exist in a coherent whole, and offer a first-version tool box to start hybrid theorizing. Our paper ends with a discussion regarding the types of information systems research questions that can be appropriately approached from a hybrid standpoint