LAUSR

In this editorial, I wish to broach a sensitive topic that relates to all IS research, yet is seldom explicitly discussed. When researchers formulate research questions, design research investigations, discuss findings and consider contributions, they also identify the perspective of the (usually) one key stakeholder, whose interests they are prioritizing. This key stakeholder is the entity for whom the research has most value, while the perspective also relates to the specific interest that the key stakeholder is likely to obtain from the research (cf. Clarke, 2015). For instance, imagine a study designed to answer the questions ‘How does social media contribute to knowledge sharing?’ and ‘What are the impacts of this social-media based knowledge sharing on organisational performance?’. Data about the use of social media and the knowledge sharing process will need to be collected, as will measures of organizational performance. Although individual knowledge workers may undertake the work, supported by social media, the real impact of the study is likely to focus on organizational performance. Here, it is the organization whose interests are prioritized and whose perspective is central to the research. The researcher will design the research in such a way that the organization’s perspective is emphasized. Moreover, the specific organizational interests that are in focus are likely to be economic in nature, since we are considering performance measures. However, the interests of other stakeholders who may benefit from the shared knowledge, such as employees or customers, are neglected even though their perspectives are in principle neither less interesting nor less valuable. As researchers, we investigate topics related to information systems in a wide variety of contexts, notably those that involve organizations. My summative sense of IS research that focuses on the interests of organizational stakeholders is that there is a strong tendency for researchers to privilege an economic perspective. What this means is that our research questions and objectives are often formulated in such a way that they identify the economic benefits that may accrue to the organization as a result of the application of information systems. Although there is nothing wrong, in principle, with such an approach to IS research, I suggest that there are other, equally valid perspectives and stakeholders. For instance, IS research does not have to be restricted to the economic benefits associated with the application of IS. It could also involve benefits or impacts at the social or environmental levels, and it could involve non-corporate stakeholders such as individual employees, consumers, citizens or tourists, work groups and teams, ecosystems and even the planet. For instance, I would hope that Green IS doi: 10.1111/isj.12170