Current trends and future opportunities in qualitative IS research

In this final chapter to the handbook, I reflect on the development of qualitative IS research methods over the last 40 years and then present my own vision for the foreseeable future of qualitative IS research. The last twenty years in particular have seen a surge of interest in qualitative research in IS, a burgeoning trend that I expect to develop further. Although the vast majority of such studies involve qualitative case studies, Action Research is also becoming more popular. Looking ahead, I suggest that while some methods may require a period of consolidation, others require further innovation. Meanwhile, as new technological opportunities emerge, so qualitative researchers need to be methodologically proactive in considering how they can rise to the challenge of studying the contemporary phenomena of our times.