[{"quality_controlled":"1","year":"2026","publisher":"AIS","date_created":"2026-04-02T04:19:09Z","title":"Bridging Systems Theory and Information Systems: A Framework for Designing Complex Information Systems","publication":"Communication of the Association for Information Systems","abstract":[{"text":"Information Systems (IS) is rooted in systems theory. Systems theory offers powerful concepts to address challenges of growing system complexity and non-systemic design approaches in information systems. Despite its systemic origins, systems theory remains a peripheral topic in IS. The study addresses this gap by introducing a comprehensive framework of 52 systems-theoretical concepts to guide the design of complex IS artifacts. We synthesize scattered systems knowledge from diverse disciplines to provide a unified level of abstraction for complex information system design. We apply the framework to a use case of business reputation systems to show how the systems lens informs the design of a novel, complex information system. We make three key contributions to the literature. First, the framework provides a common ground for interdisciplinary research in information system design. Second, it offers a unified level of abstraction grounded in systems theory that serves as a coherent basis for artifact design. Third, it demonstrates the potential of systems theory as a foundational justificatory knowledge base. Furthermore, we provide guidance on applying the framework across multiple modes of reasoning, alongside further application guidelines. The study thus serves as a bridge between the body of systems knowledge and contextual design in IS.","lang":"eng"}],"external_id":{"unknown":["https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/37/"]},"keyword":["Information Systems Research","Systems Theory","System Complexity","System Design","Design Science"],"language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"publication_identifier":{"unknown":["1529-3181"]},"publication_status":"published","citation":{"short":"U. Ibrahimli, S. Hemmrich, A. Winkelmann, Communication of the Association for Information Systems (2026).","mla":"Ibrahimli, Ulvi, et al. “Bridging Systems Theory and Information Systems: A Framework for Designing Complex Information Systems.” <i>Communication of the Association for Information Systems</i>, AIS, 2026, doi:<a href=\"https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/37/\">https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/37/</a>.","bibtex":"@article{Ibrahimli_Hemmrich_Winkelmann_2026, title={Bridging Systems Theory and Information Systems: A Framework for Designing Complex Information Systems}, DOI={<a href=\"https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/37/\">https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/37/</a>}, journal={Communication of the Association for Information Systems}, publisher={AIS}, author={Ibrahimli, Ulvi and Hemmrich, Simon and Winkelmann, Axel}, year={2026} }","apa":"Ibrahimli, U., Hemmrich, S., &#38; Winkelmann, A. (2026). Bridging Systems Theory and Information Systems: A Framework for Designing Complex Information Systems. <i>Communication of the Association for Information Systems</i>. <a href=\"https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/37/\">https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/37/</a>","ama":"Ibrahimli U, Hemmrich S, Winkelmann A. Bridging Systems Theory and Information Systems: A Framework for Designing Complex Information Systems. <i>Communication of the Association for Information Systems</i>. Published online 2026. doi:<a href=\"https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/37/\">https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/37/</a>","ieee":"U. Ibrahimli, S. Hemmrich, and A. Winkelmann, “Bridging Systems Theory and Information Systems: A Framework for Designing Complex Information Systems,” <i>Communication of the Association for Information Systems</i>, 2026, doi: <a href=\"https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/37/\">https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/37/</a>.","chicago":"Ibrahimli, Ulvi, Simon Hemmrich, and Axel Winkelmann. “Bridging Systems Theory and Information Systems: A Framework for Designing Complex Information Systems.” <i>Communication of the Association for Information Systems</i>, 2026. <a href=\"https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/37/\">https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/37/</a>."},"jel":["D83","L14","D83","O33","C63","P"],"date_updated":"2026-04-02T04:32:05Z","author":[{"last_name":"Ibrahimli","full_name":"Ibrahimli, Ulvi","first_name":"Ulvi"},{"first_name":"Simon","full_name":"Hemmrich, Simon","last_name":"Hemmrich"},{"full_name":"Winkelmann, Axel","last_name":"Winkelmann","first_name":"Axel"}],"doi":"https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/37/","type":"journal_article","status":"public","_id":"65311","department":[{"_id":"195"}],"user_id":"83557","article_type":"review","extern":"1","alternative_title":["Design Your System"]},{"date_updated":"2023-01-19T06:32:30Z","date_created":"2023-01-19T06:32:14Z","author":[{"first_name":"Jennifer","last_name":"Priefer","id":"82872","full_name":"Priefer, Jennifer"}],"title":"Geographic Information Systems in Information Systems Research - Review and Research Prospects","conference":{"name":"56th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences"},"main_file_link":[{"url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10125/103252"}],"year":"2023","citation":{"ama":"Priefer J. Geographic Information Systems in Information Systems Research - Review and Research Prospects. In: Bui TX, Sprague RH, eds. <i>Proceedings of the 56th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences</i>. ; 2023.","ieee":"J. Priefer, “Geographic Information Systems in Information Systems Research - Review and Research Prospects,” in <i>Proceedings of the 56th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences</i>, 2023.","chicago":"Priefer, Jennifer. “Geographic Information Systems in Information Systems Research - Review and Research Prospects.” In <i>Proceedings of the 56th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences</i>, edited by T.X. Bui and R.H. Sprague, 2023.","short":"J. Priefer, in: T.X. Bui, R.H. Sprague (Eds.), Proceedings of the 56th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2023.","mla":"Priefer, Jennifer. “Geographic Information Systems in Information Systems Research - Review and Research Prospects.” <i>Proceedings of the 56th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences</i>, edited by T.X. Bui and R.H. Sprague, 2023.","bibtex":"@inproceedings{Priefer_2023, title={Geographic Information Systems in Information Systems Research - Review and Research Prospects}, booktitle={Proceedings of the 56th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences}, author={Priefer, Jennifer}, editor={Bui, T.X. and Sprague, R.H.}, year={2023} }","apa":"Priefer, J. (2023). Geographic Information Systems in Information Systems Research - Review and Research Prospects. In T. X. Bui &#38; R. H. Sprague (Eds.), <i>Proceedings of the 56th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences</i>."},"_id":"37497","user_id":"82872","keyword":["GIS","Industry 4.0","and Sustainability","geographic information systems","geospatial data","gis","information systems research","literature review"],"language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"publication":"Proceedings of the 56th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences","type":"conference","abstract":[{"lang":"eng","text":"Since historical times, cartographic maps have revealed spatial relations and enabled decisions and processes. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allow for acquisition, management, analysis, and presentation of geospatial objects. With free geospatial data becoming available through open data policies and an increasing amount of digitally connected objects in the Internet of Things (IoT), GIS are becoming indispensable to Information Systems (IS) research. However, the consideration and relevance of GIS has only been investigated rarely. We examine, how and in which fields of application GIS have been studied in the IS literature and elicit the importance of GIS regarding their design and usage. A systematic literature review leads us to develop four research propositions. Our results indicate that GIS are still an undeservedly underrepresented discipline in IS and should be more theorized, put center-stage in design-oriented research, and considered for creating superior value co-creation in service systems."}],"editor":[{"first_name":"T.X.","last_name":"Bui","full_name":"Bui, T.X."},{"first_name":"R.H.","last_name":"Sprague","full_name":"Sprague, R.H."}],"status":"public"},{"language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"keyword":["Literature review","knowledge development","knowledge building activities","knowledge-based typology","information systems research"],"ddc":["000"],"file":[{"relation":"main_file","content_type":"application/pdf","file_id":"16115","file_name":"RA-18-198.pdf","access_level":"open_access","file_size":1146830,"date_created":"2020-02-26T18:12:29Z","creator":"schryen","date_updated":"2020-03-05T10:36:15Z"}],"abstract":[{"lang":"eng","text":"Literature reviews (LRs) play an important role in the development of domain knowledge in all fields. Yet, we observe a\r\nlack of insights into the activities with which LRs actually develop knowledge. To address this important gap, we (1)\r\nderive knowledge building activities from the extant literature on LRs, (2) suggest a knowledge-based typology of LRs\r\nthat complements existing typologies, and (3) apply the suggested typology in an empirical study that explores how LRs\r\nwith different goals and methodologies have contributed to knowledge development. The analysis of 240 LRs published\r\nin 40 renowned IS journals between 2000 and 2014 allows us to draw a detailed picture of knowledge development\r\nachieved by one of the most important genres in the IS field. An overarching contribution of our work is to unify extant\r\nconceptualizations of LRs by clarifying and illustrating how LRs apply different methodologies in a range of knowledge\r\nbuilding activities to achieve their goals with respect to theory."}],"publication":"Communications of the AIS","title":"A Knowledge Development Perspective on Literature Reviews: Validation of a New Typology in the IS Field","date_created":"2019-07-12T12:01:02Z","year":"2020","file_date_updated":"2020-03-05T10:36:15Z","department":[{"_id":"277"}],"user_id":"72850","_id":"11946","status":"public","type":"journal_article","doi":"10.17705/1CAIS.04607","volume":46,"author":[{"id":"72850","full_name":"Schryen, Guido","last_name":"Schryen","first_name":"Guido"},{"last_name":"Wagner","full_name":"Wagner, Gerit","first_name":"Gerit"},{"full_name":"Benlian, Alexander","last_name":"Benlian","first_name":"Alexander"},{"first_name":"Guy","last_name":"Paré","full_name":"Paré, Guy"}],"date_updated":"2022-06-10T06:38:58Z","oa":"1","intvolume":"        46","page":"134-186","citation":{"ieee":"G. Schryen, G. Wagner, A. Benlian, and G. Paré, “A Knowledge Development Perspective on Literature Reviews: Validation of a New Typology in the IS Field,” <i>Communications of the AIS</i>, vol. 46, pp. 134–186, 2020, doi: <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.04607\">10.17705/1CAIS.04607</a>.","chicago":"Schryen, Guido, Gerit Wagner, Alexander Benlian, and Guy Paré. “A Knowledge Development Perspective on Literature Reviews: Validation of a New Typology in the IS Field.” <i>Communications of the AIS</i> 46 (2020): 134–86. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.04607\">https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.04607</a>.","short":"G. Schryen, G. Wagner, A. Benlian, G. Paré, Communications of the AIS 46 (2020) 134–186.","bibtex":"@article{Schryen_Wagner_Benlian_Paré_2020, title={A Knowledge Development Perspective on Literature Reviews: Validation of a New Typology in the IS Field}, volume={46}, DOI={<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.04607\">10.17705/1CAIS.04607</a>}, journal={Communications of the AIS}, author={Schryen, Guido and Wagner, Gerit and Benlian, Alexander and Paré, Guy}, year={2020}, pages={134–186} }","mla":"Schryen, Guido, et al. “A Knowledge Development Perspective on Literature Reviews: Validation of a New Typology in the IS Field.” <i>Communications of the AIS</i>, vol. 46, 2020, pp. 134–86, doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.04607\">10.17705/1CAIS.04607</a>.","apa":"Schryen, G., Wagner, G., Benlian, A., &#38; Paré, G. (2020). A Knowledge Development Perspective on Literature Reviews: Validation of a New Typology in the IS Field. <i>Communications of the AIS</i>, <i>46</i>, 134–186. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.04607\">https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.04607</a>","ama":"Schryen G, Wagner G, Benlian A, Paré G. A Knowledge Development Perspective on Literature Reviews: Validation of a New Typology in the IS Field. <i>Communications of the AIS</i>. 2020;46:134-186. doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.04607\">10.17705/1CAIS.04607</a>"},"publication_identifier":{"issn":[" 1529-3181"]},"has_accepted_license":"1"},{"publication":"European Journal of Information Systems","type":"journal_article","status":"public","_id":"4689","user_id":"72849","keyword":["analytics","big data","data source","information systems research","methodology"],"extern":"1","language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"publication_identifier":{"issn":["14769344"],"isbn":["0960-085X"]},"issue":"4","year":"2016","page":"289--302","citation":{"ama":"Müller O, Junglas I, vom Brocke J, Debortoli S. Utilizing big data analytics for information systems research: Challenges, promises and guidelines. <i>European Journal of Information Systems</i>. 2016;(4):289--302. doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2016.2\">10.1057/ejis.2016.2</a>","chicago":"Müller, Oliver, Iris Junglas, Jan vom Brocke, and Stefan Debortoli. “Utilizing Big Data Analytics for Information Systems Research: Challenges, Promises and Guidelines.” <i>European Journal of Information Systems</i>, no. 4 (2016): 289--302. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2016.2\">https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2016.2</a>.","ieee":"O. Müller, I. Junglas, J. vom Brocke, and S. Debortoli, “Utilizing big data analytics for information systems research: Challenges, promises and guidelines,” <i>European Journal of Information Systems</i>, no. 4, pp. 289--302, 2016.","bibtex":"@article{Müller_Junglas_vom Brocke_Debortoli_2016, title={Utilizing big data analytics for information systems research: Challenges, promises and guidelines}, DOI={<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2016.2\">10.1057/ejis.2016.2</a>}, number={4}, journal={European Journal of Information Systems}, author={Müller, Oliver and Junglas, Iris and vom Brocke, Jan and Debortoli, Stefan}, year={2016}, pages={289--302} }","mla":"Müller, Oliver, et al. “Utilizing Big Data Analytics for Information Systems Research: Challenges, Promises and Guidelines.” <i>European Journal of Information Systems</i>, no. 4, 2016, pp. 289--302, doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2016.2\">10.1057/ejis.2016.2</a>.","short":"O. Müller, I. Junglas, J. vom Brocke, S. Debortoli, European Journal of Information Systems (2016) 289--302.","apa":"Müller, O., Junglas, I., vom Brocke, J., &#38; Debortoli, S. (2016). Utilizing big data analytics for information systems research: Challenges, promises and guidelines. <i>European Journal of Information Systems</i>, (4), 289--302. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2016.2\">https://doi.org/10.1057/ejis.2016.2</a>"},"date_updated":"2022-01-06T07:01:18Z","author":[{"first_name":"Oliver","last_name":"Müller","id":"72849","full_name":"Müller, Oliver"},{"first_name":"Iris","last_name":"Junglas","full_name":"Junglas, Iris"},{"full_name":"vom Brocke, Jan","last_name":"vom Brocke","first_name":"Jan"},{"last_name":"Debortoli","full_name":"Debortoli, Stefan","first_name":"Stefan"}],"date_created":"2018-10-12T08:29:46Z","title":"Utilizing big data analytics for information systems research: Challenges, promises and guidelines","doi":"10.1057/ejis.2016.2"}]