Abstract

There are reasons to be concerned about the future of the academic discipline (or field) of Information Systems. Enrollments have dropped, survey courses are questioned, some writers have suggested that the IS function will soon disappear, and some well-known schools have yet to acknowledge the existence of a new academic discipline. These events are enough to create uncertainty in a relatively young field less than 40 years old. Is there a real crisis, or is the current situation temporary? The paper evaluates six pessimistic arguments about the field. Overall, while problems exist, we believe the prognosis is good. The need for and the value of the IS function and systems continue to be high. Investment continues to be strong. The preconditions are in place for con- tinued strength for the IS academic discipline. Are there things the field needs to do right in order to secure the future of the field? Perhaps muddling along will work, but proactive actions are more likely to be success- ful. This paper makes five recommendations for proactively making sure the field prospers and makes real contributions through our research, our teaching, and our relationships with other academic fields and practitioners.

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