Abstract

Growth is a concept that can be found in various research contexts. In economics, medicine, biology, geography, physics, mathematics and many more, the concept of growth is used to describe development issues of complex systems. It is assumed that the concept of growth is well established as a measure for development and that its meaning is commonly agreed upon. However, it can be seen that there is a change of interpretation in certain systems, for example, economics, where the concept of growth as a measure for progression of complex systems tends to lose validity. This is an obvious first example, where researchers try to understand what the meaning of growth is, aside from the obvious point of enlargement. This research takes an ontological approach and tries to comprehend the usage of the concept of growth in information systems research and the adjacent research areas of economics, geography, and mathematics. Based on these findings, a new conceptualization of growth is proposed, which might be more appropriate to future research and practical implications in information systems research.

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