WG8.2 2011 - IFIP WG8.2 Working Conference “Researching the Future”

As we approach the second decade of the 21st century, ongoing transformations in business forms and practices, economic institutions, and societal practices are greatly influenced by developments in information and communication technologies (ICT). Some of these transformations dazzle us with possibilities for improving social welfare, while others suggest that social inequality may be increasing and preserving the status quo.

As researchers within a discipline focused on the design, adoption, utilization and effects of ICT, we are well-positioned to contribute to the future shaping of ICT-based practices. Drawing on a healthy debate about research relevance, it is now time to explore, develop and substantiate the new directions through which our field can shape and influence the future of ICT-based practices. If anticipating and influencing the future is something qualitatively different than immediate research relevance, we must then ask whether and how our approaches to inquiry can affect our ability to do so. Such reflection would be valuable in shaping a discipline that is progressive and confident about its role in dealing with questions about the future.

To address this need, the theme of this international working conference of IFIP 8.2 is "Researching the Future". We encourage the submission of "traditional" written texts (empirical work of all kinds, engaged research, case studies, methodological and philosophical discussions), but also non-traditional approaches and formats (e.g. descriptions of IT artefacts, science fictions, and convincing speculative visions) which address the future of IS and IT, and the ways to research the future of ICT and ICT-based practices. The nature of this theme should encourage both authors and reviewers for this conference to experiment and assess the value of novel approaches to researching and thinking about the futures of ICT-based research. A number of possible questions and perspectives are identified below, recognizing and welcoming submissions on any topic relevant to IFIP WG 8.2 beyond this specific call.

Examples of Questions to Address within the Theme
How can we anticipate the possible futures of ICT?
How does the production and communication of ICT research affect the future?
How does and could research on the present shape the future?
How do we evaluate alternative approaches to research which addresses and speculates on the future?
What are the goals and measures of success for a future-oriented field?
What does a future-orientation in the field suggest about our current debates about research epistemologies and methodologies?
What social and political constraints restrict the realization of ICT futures and our role in producing them?
What kinds of environments facilitate a greater latitude for and consideration of ICT futures?
What could be the "science" behind technological foresight?

Submission Date: 1 September 2010

General Chairs: Michael Myers, University of Auckland Business School, New Zealand
Jacob Nørbjerg, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
Organizing Chairs: Helena Karsten, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
Barbro Back, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
Program Co-Chairs: Mike Chiasson, Lancaster University, UK
Ola Henfridsson, Viktoria Institute, Sweden & University of Oslo, Norway