<– See all workshops

Advancing Computational Theory Construction Research in Information Systems

Computational Theory Construction (CTC) is an emerging paradigm in IS that integrates multiple methods to build, test, and refine theory (Berente et al., 2019; Miranda et al., 2022). It is a phenomenon-driven approach that draws theoretical insight from computationally derived patterns such as categories, associations, and sequences. By combining techniques, CTC enables scholars to study socio-technical phenomena in ways that reveal new patterns of behaviour and interaction. Despite growing interest, CTC is methodologically diverse and lacks established conventions for framing contributions for IS journals.

The Department of Information Systems and Operations Management (University of Auckland) is proud to sponsor the inaugural Asia-Pacific workshop at PACIS 2026, which is designed to help researchers address these challenges and develop the skills needed to publish CTC research. The session will include keynote presentations from leading scholars, followed by small-group roundtable discussions with editors from leading journals. These discussions will provide participants with feedback on their submitted abstracts and guidance on research design, theory development, and framing contributions for publication. The workshop’s goal is to support the growth of an IS research community focused on CTC, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

The presentations are open to all but participation in the roundtable discussions requires the submission of an abstract. Accepted roundtable participants will also be expected to read and provide feedback on the papers assigned to their table. Abstracts must be no longer than five pages, single-spaced, in 12-point font, including references. Please also include a brief cover letter indicating the target journal(s) and the main challenges you face with the current version. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and decisions will be communicated to authors whose submissions meet the requirements. 

Please submit your abstract and cover letter here by Monday, June 8, 2026: https://forms.gle/vK3HzGurLocU96SN8

Workshop Co-Chairs

• Shohil Kishore is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the University of Auckland. His research examines the organisational and societal implications of social media. He often uses CTC in his research and has recently published a methodological piece on the topic in the Journal of Information Technology.
• Andrew Burton-Jones is a Professor of Business Information Systems at UQ Business School, The University of Queensland. Andrew is a past Editor-in-Chief of MIS Quarterly and past President of the Association for Information Systems. He also co-authored a seminal piece bringing CTC to the forefront of IS scholarship: “Computationally Intensive Theory Construction: A Primer for Authors and Reviewers” which was published in MIS Quarterly in 2022.
• Yvonne Hong is a Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the School of Information Management, Victoria University of Wellington. Yvonne’s research interests centre on how emerging technologies impact individuals, organisations, and society. She is currently researching in the areas of hybrid learning and artificial intelligence in education and is actively engaging with CTC research. She has recently co-authored a paper applying the approach in Information Technology and People.
• Saima Qutab is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the University of Auckland. Her research focuses on the impact of digital disruption on digital inclusion in organisations and society. She is interested in combining CTC with qualitative research methods and recently co-authored a paper applying the approach in Information Technology and People.
• Aron Lindberg is an Associate Professor of Information Systems at the School of Business, Stevens Institute of Technology. He studies how digital innovation is influenced by crowds and artificial intelligence, often using both qualitative and computational methods. His research has been published in journals such as MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, and Journal of the Association for Information Systems. He is an associate editor at MIS Quarterly.

Mentors

• Professor Suprateek Sarker, University of Virginia 
• Professor Jungpil Hahn, National University of Singapore 
• Professor Carol Hsu, University of Sydney
• Professor Atreyi Kankanhalli, National University of Singapore
• Professor Chee-Wee Tan, Hong Kong Polytechnic University 
• Professor Chee Wei (David) Phang, University of Nottingham Ningbo China 
• Associate Professor Saeed Akhlaghpour, University of Queensland 

Fees

$30 per participant (limited to 28 participants) to be handled by PACIS registration system

Agenda

<– See all workshops