Adaptive information system development

Information system development (ISD) is being conducted in an increasingly turbulent and complex environment. New forms of ISD are emerging, such as open source software and agile methods but theory is needed to explain and help improve the organization of ISD. Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) provides a novel perspective to understand and describe new forms of ISD and provide a theoretical foundation for researchers. This paper provides an overview of CAS and a review of its application to the study of organizations and to ISD. A directive approach to ISD is compared with a CAS informed approach, adaptive ISD. The CAS concept of coevolution is then used to throw light on the relationship between ISD and the enterprise in which the ISD activity takes place. The paper concludes with a research agenda for the application of CAS to ISD.