The past and future of The Journal of Strategic Information Systems: A conversation with Bob Galliers

Abstract

The Journal of Strategic Information Systems (JSIS) was first published in December 1991 by Robert D. (Bob) Galliers, its founding Editor-in-Chief (EiC), following an invitation to establish the journal by Butterworth Heinemann in 1989. Bob invited Sirkka Jarvenpaa to join him as co-Editor-in-Chief in 2000. In 2018, Bob and Sirkka jointly decided it was time, and after three and two decades at the helm respectively, announced they would both step down from their EiC roles at the end of that year. Bob and Sirkka, the Senior Editors and Elsevier endorsed Guy Gable to assume the role of Editor-in-Chief commencing January 2019. In this reflection, Guy interviews Bob Galliers on the ‘changing of the guard’; the journal’s past and future, and the topic of Strategic Information Systems more broadly.

We believe the history of JSIS as reflected in Bob's ruminations is insightful for the Journal's readers and the IS community. From the discussion we learn how an academic journal was guided to success by focusing on the vision, the strategic choices and actions, the team composition and the ability to adapt and lead in a constantly changing environment, where the technology developments challenge organizational structures, markets and society. A set of well-thought through strategic choices, initially made by Bob and later in collaboration with Sirkka and the rest of the editorial team, led the Journal to the top of the research field by gaining respect from scholars in the underlying research areas, i.e., IS management, Strategy and Organization Science.¹