Abstract

Traditional theories are reaching their limits in explaining new phenomena of IT-enabled work practices. Practice theory is considered a contemporary and promising theoretical lens to overcome such limitations. This paper presents intermediate results from a review of practice theory use in IS research. Our review shows that IS scholars have increasingly become interested in practice theory. This concerns the understanding of how actors and materials are embedded in and enact patterns of social practice. It is a fundamentally different type of theory compared to traditional IS theories. Practice theory builds on non-dualist philosophy (tradition of European-continental philosophy), and proposes practical rationality (theory should be based on practice, not vice versa). Due to such properties, IS scholars are sometimes confused about the nature, philosophical roots, and general applicability of practice theory. In this paper, we discuss what practice theory is (central concepts), where practice theory comes from (intellectually, historically), in which areas (of IS research) it has been used, and where and how the use and development of practice theory in IS may be further improved going forward. This discussion is based on a review of seminal practice theory research and a structured review of mainstream IS outlets.

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