One of the "pillars" on which the field rests

Alya Mlaïki and Nabila Boukef - Izak Benbasat, one of the "pillars" underpinning the field of information systems

The field of Information Systems (IS) is relatively recent, and is still seeking its legitimacy both in relation to other management disciplines and to practitioners. This discipline strives to understand the uses and transformations linked to IS taking place in today's societies and organizations.

These transformations can take place at individual, collective or institutional level. Indeed, given that IS are, among other things, tools that enable interaction and communication with others, they act on the relational and affective dimension between individuals. We note that the introduction of a variety of IS, such as integrated management software packages, in organizations is leading to structural transformations that are becoming increasingly complex to manage in a globalized environment. These changes not only affect structures, but also work methods, processes and organizational routines. They are altering the relationships of power and influence between employees, and even transforming corporate business models.

There's no shortage of examples to show that identifying and understanding these various IS-related issues requires the borrowing of theories, approaches and methods from other disciplinary fields, notably management, marketing, sociology, psychology and so on. Several authors who belong to the IS disciplinary field have taken on this multi-disciplinary approach, which is in fact a strength, as it enables them to offer a complex viewpoint that reflects part of the reality observed in the field of study. Izak Benbasat is one of those great authors who defend this plurality and, in the course of their research, do not hesitate to defend this discipline in all its conceptual, methodological and epistemological richness. In fact, he has developed a whole range of ideas on IS research and how to position it in relation to other disciplines. He went on to work on a wide range of themes, from the individual level (notably his work on adoption and trust) to the collective level (social shopping and inter-organizational IS).

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce this great author, develop the themes on which he worked and his main contributions. It will then present the limits of his work, and suggest some future avenues of research that could enable further investigations to continue building and developing the IS research field.

Izak Benbasat is one of the great authors in IS management, thanks to the originality and relevance of his research work, which makes highly interesting conceptual and methodological contributions. These works are of great interest to the younger generation of researchers, particularly those who continue to build on his contributions to further develop this discipline and encourage it to find resonance beyond its own borders. Benbasat is an author who takes great care to be close to the field he studies, and he has taken a keen interest in e-commerce and the adaptations that can be made to bring products even closer to consumers. His research work offers a wealth of answers, but is based on the assumption that the user and the designer are two independent people, which is less and less the case these days, as the consumer becomes a player and sometimes even a designer. So what can we say about usage? Is use constructed or emergent? Every day, we realize that the boundaries between worlds, professions and players are increasingly permeable and thin. Roles are diluted. How can we take this thinking into account to develop Izak Benbasat's work and propose other lines of thought in IS management?