Information Systems

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The SI research group, founded in 1975 by Robert Reix, is led by Isabelle BOURDON and Philippe COHARD.

SI-photo-RREIX

The Information Systems (IS) research group was founded in Montpellier in 1975 by Robert Reix, one of the founders of the discipline in France. The group first took root within the CRIG (Center for Research in Computer Science and Management), which brought together computer scientists and managers from the Faculty of Science. The group subsequently expanded at the University of Montpellier 2 within Crego (1982) and later Cregor (2008). Then, in 2011, the research group became MRM-Information Systems, bringing together researchers from the universities of Montpellier and other partner institutions. The information systems research group at the University of Montpellier has long been an established part of the IS community.

RESEARCH TOPICS

The Information Systems research group analyzes issues and develops theoretical frameworks to address them. The issues addressed in information systems management relate to the design, implementation, evaluation, and use of information systems and related information technologies. These technologies are studied across various fields, such as manufacturing, services and consulting, healthcare, banking, education, and more. This research is organized around three main themes inherent to the discipline:

  • Information Technology Ecology: Green IT, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Sustainable Development (SD), e-health, Degrowth, IT Security, Protection of individuals regarding the use and ownership of personal digital data, etc. The originality of the work on these research themes is based on the SI group’s understanding of ethics, which is characterized by three dimensions: concern for others (as opposed to concern only for oneself), concern for other places (as opposed to concern strictly for local repercussions), and concern for the future (as opposed to concern only for the present). This vision of ethics thus de facto encompasses the issues of sustainable development and corporate social responsibility, but significantly broadens their scope.
  • Innovation Through Information Technology: IS Strategy and Governance, IS Project Management, Open Innovation, Industry 4.0, etc. Our work differs from traditional research on topics such as innovation and performance by focusing on understanding the innovative organizational forms that emerge in certain Internet-based communities: polycentric governance, motivation and participation in open-source communities, power in communities of practice, the contributions of IT to the supply chain, social media, and value creation, etc. We hypothesize that these innovative forms foreshadow a new model of governance within organizations.
  • Effects of Information Technology in Organizations: IT Usage and Adoption, Digital Transformation, Knowledge Management. The originality of research in the field of IT adoption lies in its focus on empirical studies of organizational practices (particularly in public and private companies) rather than merely on discourse regarding the expected benefits of IT. These studies also prioritize qualitative methods. The uses of IT are analyzed in relation to managerial practices and organizational characteristics (such as organizational culture or industry sector). This approach examines phenomena such as resistance during the implementation of an ERP system, for example, or situations where the tool is not adopted.

Whether it involves digitizing, implementing, and managing connected devices, Big Data, CRM, or ERP, information technologies are merely the tools of information systems, which have their own sociotechnical complexity. The spread of information technology across various management fields does not diminish but, on the contrary, reinforces the need for scientific research in information systems in order to generate actionable knowledge regarding their management.

GROUP LEADERS

Isabelle BOURDON
Group Director
Contact

Philippe COHARD
Assistant Director
Contact

Research Bulletin No. 1, 2023:

Permanent Members

Associate Members

Doctors

Doctoral Students

International Activities:

The SI Group collaborates with numerous academic partners on every continent.

SI-IMG International

The SI Group regularly hosts foreign researchers for stays of varying lengths.

Theses:

The SI group has supervised 45 thesis defenses since its founding.
You can view all the thesis defenses.

Thesis Award:

The SI group received 9 thesis awards:

  • Four-time winner of the Best Dissertation of the Year Award in Information Systems: the FNEGE AIM Dissertation Award—Robert REIX;
  • Three-time runner-up for the FNEGE AIM Thesis Prize – Robert REIX;
  • 1 ADERSE-FNEGE-ORSE Second Prize for a Dissertation;
  • 1 ADERSE-FNEGE-ORSE Third Prize for a Dissertation.

The IT Team in Pictures:

Here are a few photos of some of the Information Systems group’s highlights over the years:

2024 MRM-SI at the AIM in Montpellier
2013 MRM-SI at AIM Lyon
2013 MRM-SI at the IAE in Montpellier
2013 MRM-SI at the IAE in Montpellier