The philosophy of critical realism - An opportunity for information systems research

It is argued that recent research in the information systems field has tend ed to either emphasise the structural/collective dimension or the agency/in dividual dimension, not both. Structuration theory is a more recent attempt to address both agency and structure, however there are a number of issues with the use of structuration theory in information systems research, not the least of which is its lack of recognition of the temporal and longitudi nal nature of information systems development. A relatively new philosophy, critical realism, provides the potential for a new approach to social inve stigations in its provision of an ontology for the analytical separation of structure and agency, The philosophy is introduced and its implications fo r sociological investigation are discussed.