Evolving an Information Systems Research Strategy

Many new IS research groups have come into existence over the past several years. This is especially so in the Asia Pacific region, as reflected in the Asia Pacific Directory of Information Systems Researchers (APDISR), which in its first edition (1994) includes approximately 1,300 staff from 150 institutions in fourteen countries. New IS research groups also continue to be established throughout North America and Europe (the North American, Europzm and Asia Pacific directories in sum reflect approximately 4,000 researchers from 800 institutions in 40 countries). The circumstances of these “new” IS groups are often quite different (e.g., younger staff, lack of research focus) from more established groups. Also, the circumstances of Asia Pacific groups may be quite different from those in North America a i d Europe (e.g., geographic proximity, external validity of findings, reward systems). Rather than attempt to track research directions or present a framework for research, this panel will focus on more practical issues of evolving a research strategy that maximizes the effectiveness of these new IS groups, taking account of their unique circumstances and comparative advantages