Bridging Systems Theory and Information Systems: A Framework for Designing Complex Information Systems Design Your System Ibrahimli, Ulvi Hemmrich, Simon Winkelmann, Axel Information Systems Research Systems Theory System Complexity System Design Design Science 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. AIS 2026 info:eu-repo/semantics/article doc-type:article text http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 https://ris.uni-paderborn.de/record/65311 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> eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/37/ info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess