[PDF] ANTI-FRAGILE INFORMATION SYSTEMS - CORE

14431_3301367271.pdf Anti-Fragile Information Systems Thirty Sixth International Conference on Information Systems, Fort Worth 2015 1

Anti-Fragile Information Systems

Completed Research Paper

Arnaud Gorgeon

Groupe ESC Clermont - EA3849, CRCGM

4, Bd Trudaine - 63037 Clermont-Ferrand Cedex 1

arnaud.gorgeon@esc-clermont.fr Abstract As complex socio-technical systems composed of many interconnected parts, interacting in non-linear, dynamic, emergent and often unexpected ways Information Systems are fragile. In this paper we introduce the concept of antifragility as an alternative mean of apprehending the fragility of Information Systems and a novel way of dealing with risk, uncertainty and the unknown. Antifragility is the opposite of fragility. Antifragility allows to go beyond robustness or resilience by moving away from a predictive mode of thinking and decision making to a mode that embraces the unknown and randomness and focuses on the characteristics that render systems fragile rather than trying to assess and predict the chain of events that may harm them. We propose a set of guidelines for moving from the fragile toward the antifragile, and explore, for the processes of the IS function, their applications and the questions they raise for practice and research. Keywords: antifragility, information systems, fragility, robustness, uncertainty, unexpected, processes

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