Panel: Inter-organisational systems: Redefining the research agenda

Inter-organisational Systems (IOS) have been the subject of comprehensive study for over two decades resulting in a significant contribution to a cumulative research tradition. In recent years, however, the topic has become increasingly diverse and fragmented. Current IOS research explores both a diverse range of technologies and business models, including business-to-business (B2B) systems, e-business models, XML, web services and electronic marketplaces. This proliferation of research while necessary and welcome now threatens the very cumulative tradition from which it emerged. It could be argued that these disparate research agendas are all a subset of a cumulative IOS research agenda that has become fragmented based on function or technology. This raises the question of how can IOS continue to build a strong cumulative tradition, which on the one hand explores diversity, while on the other adheres to fundamental principles.