Message from the WITS President
Ahmed Abbasi talks about how in this digitally transformed, AI-enabled world, the importance of WITS to the broader IS community is greater than ever
In the Information Systems (IS) field, technical research has traditionally complemented the behavioral and economics perspectives by emphasizing research related to the design and deployment of novel IT artifacts. Examples of research genres and methods of technical inquiry in IS include design science, computational design, IS data science, and design-oriented analytical modeling. Such technical research is crucial to the IS field’s socio-technical axis of cohesion. We now find ourselves in an era of profound digital transformation where all social interactions involve IT artifacts. At a time when many fields are studying “technology and managerial implications” (e.g., OB, Strategy, Marketing, OM), design artifacts, depth of understanding of technical phenomena and how they inform and impact the human condition, and prescriptive knowledge claims are an important differentiator for IS. In this era, I believe WITS is more central to the IS community, and more consequential to the core of IS than it has ever been.
Ahmed Abbasi, WITS President (2025-2027)
Message from the Past WITS President:
Victoria Yoon talks about the importance of WITS for the IS community, and how it has benefited the field
WITS provides an interactive forum to discuss possible means to address complex business problems or societal issues with information technologies. I am thrilled to note WITS’ accomplishments since the inaugural workshop at Boston in 1991 and would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to those who have tirelessly contributed: program co-chairs, officers, board members and many others. We would not be where we are today without your dedication, commitment, and sacrifice. WITS has significantly grown not only in numbers and visibility but also in its influence on the entire IS community. The summary of WITS’ accomplishments by the Program Co-Chairs are not just impressive statistics but exhibits the true capability of the WITS community.
Today, we are experiencing large scale technological innovation and foresee an increasingly accelerated pace. Yet, we are suddenly forced to deal with enormous uncertainties resulting from the pandemic and have to adapt to a ‘new normal,’ whose terms are currently in flux. Consequently, the problems which we are facing are becoming more complex than ever before. In these unprecedented, volatile times, WITS can play a vital role toward the growth and advancement of the IS field. It is my earnest hope that in continuing our tradition of stalwart collaboration, we can, together, develop advanced solutions for intractable problems in our ever-evolving business and society using information technologies.
Victoria Yoon, WITS Past President (2022-2024)