ABSTRACT

The study of how and why individuals, groups, and organizations use information systems is motivated by the simple fact that information systems must be used to have effects. Over several decades, this topic has become the largest single body of research in the Information Systems field. Just like any large body of work, research on information systems use has generated a wealth of theoretical and practical insights. We have no doubt that such work will continue very successfully. However, another characteristic of large, mature fields is that they sometimes take on paradigmatic blinkers that lead them to focus on some issues minutely while missing other, potentially important issues. In this chapter, we describe a program of research that we have been undertaking that is motivated by our belief in the need to move from studying ‘use’ to ‘effective use.’ We describe what led us to undertake this work, provide a snapshot of others’ efforts to do so, and illustrate the tentative steps we have been taking in our ongoing work. We hope this chapter will prove useful for researchers who wish to learn about this new area of work and even entice some to join in the journey.