Toward an Autopoietic Perspective on Information Systems Organization

This paper applies autopoietic theory to examine the nature of IS–organization relationships involving coevolutionary processes among an organization and its IS, IS organization issues, and the impacts on an organization’s competitive advantage. By drawing on a longitudinal field study in an international investment banking organization, where the development of a core IS has been studied since 1999, this paper (1) presents the distinct characteristics of the autopoietic approach; (2) demonstrates its explanatory power for understanding the IS–organization coevolutionary processes and IS organization, and (3) shows the implications of these autopoietic explanations for the firm’s current and future competitive advantage.