The Mobile and Mobility: Information, Organisations and Systems

Information is the basis of our society, of our businesses and of our organisations. Once, information was marginal to organisations and then gradually information became central. Consequently, information systems development methodology, “…[the] recommended collection of philosophies, phases, procedures, rules, techniques, tools, documentation, management, and training for developers of Information Systems”, also became central (Avison and Fitzgerald 1988). Over the last decade, the mobility and connectedness afforded by universal personal devices, systems and technologies have meant that the production, transformation, transmission, consumption, ownership, control, nature and significance of information have changed rapidly and dramatically. The consequences for information systems, for the development of information systems, and for the organisations that use them are still unfolding. This paper outlines in very general terms the impact of mobility and connectedness and asks about the effects on information systems and their development.