Motivation and format
To continue and foster a discussion on methodological and theoretical aspects of IOIS research which began with a panel discussion on the 2004 Bled eConference and was extended and deepened through workshops on the subsequent Bled eConferences as well as through an ongoing and snowballing research collaboration among many of the participants of these workshops, this year’s workshop will address the issue of how to model Inter-organizational Information Systems. Extant IOIS research uses a variety of ways of conceptualization and perspectives, for example describing IOIS as initiatives or collectives of participants. Also, a multitude of levels, aspects and dimensions are used to describe the internal structures and processes of IOIS. In order to further the study of IOIS, we feel it necessary to promote a more theory-based and common way of identifying, describing and modelling IOIS. This workshop shall serve as a platform for this discussion. Important questions to be addressed include:

• Which theoretical bases are appropriate for modelling IOIS?
• How can the multi-level nature of IOIS be addressed?
• How can types of IOIS be distinguished?
• How can the evolution of IOIS be described?

The format of the workshop will be an open discussion structured by the above list of questions. Participants will be asked to comment on these questions whereby timeslots will be designated for each question so that all questions will be addressed. It is explicitly intended that participants will not make “mini-presentations”; rather, participants will be encouraged to closely relate their comments to the questions listed above as well as to the other participants’ remarks and observations during the workshop. At the beginning of each slot, the chairs will take turns in introducing and motivating the upcoming question. Given the number of questions and an anticipated time frame of 1.5 hours, time slots of ca. 20 minutes for each question are envisaged.