Motivation

As digital technologies become increasingly integral to society, organizations face mounting expectations to ensure these technologies are developed, deployed, and governed responsibly. Digital responsibility is inherently a socio-technical challenge and refers to the collective ethical, social, and environmental accountability of all stakeholders—ranging from developers to policymakers—in shaping technologies that align with societal values and minimize harm (Trier et al., 2023). This encompasses addressing challenges such as data misuse, algorithmic bias, inequitable access, misinformation, and environmental degradation while also fostering the potential for digital innovation to drive positive change (e.g., Chatterjee et al., 2009; Mueller, 2022; Wang et al., 2025).

Managing digital responsibility is a complex, multifaceted socio-technical challenge requiring organizations to navigate competing priorities (Mihale-Wilson et al., 2022; Trier et al., 2023). How can they ensure ethical AI without stifling innovation? What trade-offs arise when balancing inclusivity and efficiency in technology deployment? How can organizations embed responsibility into their strategic and operational decision-making to generate both societal and business value? And how should organizations address unintended consequences when well-intentioned policies inadvertently reinforce inequalities or create inefficiencies? These tensions highlight the need for a nuanced socio-technical approach that considers both the promises and costs of managing digital responsibility.

Digital responsibility is not a static achievement but an evolving process that requires continuous adaptation to emerging challenges and opportunities. For example, organizations must establish governance mechanisms that address power asymmetries, foster transparency in opaque AI systems, and proactively mitigate environmental costs (e.g., Ellinger et al., 2023; Elliott et al., 2021; Ixmeier et al., 2024). At the same time, they must recognize the role of leadership, corporate culture, and stakeholder collaboration in operationalizing responsibility at scale (e.g., Lobschat et al., 2021; Mueller, 2022). The success of digital responsibility efforts depends not only on technical solutions but also on how they are implemented and governed within organizations.

Possible research areas

This special issue seeks to advance scholarly understanding of what managing digital responsibility entails from a managerial perspective. Specifically, we aim to uncover how organizations can embed responsible practices into their operations, governance, and strategies while acknowledging the trade-offs and complexities involved. By addressing these questions, we aim to provide actionable insights that inform managerial decision-making and have tangible impact on business practices.

We welcome submissions that critically explore topics such as:

Strategic and Organizational Aspects

• Embedding digital responsibility into organizations and processes: Frameworks and strategies for integrating ethical, social, and environmental considerations.
• Leadership, culture, and stakeholder collaboration: Exploring the role of leadership and cross-sector cooperation in driving responsible digital practices.
• Balancing innovation with ethical accountability: Navigating trade-offs between digital progress and responsibility.

Governance, Power, and Accountability

• Power dynamics, transparency, and accountability in digital governance: Exploring how organizational structures and policies shape responsible technology use.
• Promises and costs of digital responsibility: Weighing benefits like trust and innovation against challenges like complexity and resistance.
• Regulatory and ethical challenges in AI and automation: Strategies for addressing issues like bias, misinformation, and explainability.

Diversity, Inclusion, and Sustainability

• Equity and inclusivity in digital technology access and use: Strategies to bridge the digital divide and foster digital inclusion.
• Sustainability and environmental impact of digital technologies: Reducing ecological costs while maintaining efficiency.

We encourage submissions that explicitly incorporate managerial implications to ensure research findings can be translated into actionable insights for business leaders, policymakers, and practitioners. Submissions using diverse methodological approaches—including but not limited to qualitative studies, quantitative analyses, theoretical contributions, experimental designs, computational methods, and mixed-method research—are welcome. We particularly encourage interdisciplinary perspectives, including information systems, business management, ethics, sociology, and sustainability studies.

This issue aims to illuminate the evolving role of organizations in fostering ethical, inclusive, and sustainable digital ecosystems, offering fresh perspectives on one of the most pressing challenges of our time. By embracing methodological diversity, we hope to advance a multifaceted understanding of how digital responsibility can be effectively managed in a complex and rapidly changing world.

Timeline

All papers must be submitted by 15 January 2026 at the latest via the journal’s online submission system (http://www.editorialmanager.com/buis/). Please observe the instructions regarding the format and size of submission to BISE. Papers should adhere to the submission general BISE author guidelines (https://www.bise-journal.com/?page_id=18).

Submissions will be reviewed anonymously in a double-blind process by at least two referees with regard to relevance, originality, and research quality. In addition to the editors of the journal, distinguished international scholars will be involved in the review process.

Given the timeliness and importance of this topic, we aim to publish meaningful contributions after fast and limited decision cycles. The editorial timeline will proceed as follows:

• Deadline for Submission: 15 Jan 2026
• Notification of the Authors, 1st Round: 15 Apr 2026
• Completion Revision 1: 15 Jul 2026
• Notification of the Authors, 2nd Round: 1 Sep 2026
• Completion Revision 2: 1 Oct 2026
• Notification of the Authors, Final Round: 15 Oct 2026
• Online Publication: asap
• Print Publication: Jan 2027

Editors of the Special Issue

• Anne Ixmeier (LMU Munich School of Management, Germany)
• Julia Lanzl (University of Hohenheim, Germany)
• Janina Sundermeier (Freie Universität Berlin, Germany)
• Jason Thatcher (University of Colorado Boulder, USA)

References

Chatterjee, S., Sarker, S., & Fuller, M. (2009). Ethical Information Systems Development: A Baumanian Postmodernist Perspective. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 10(11), 787-815. https://doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00214

Ellinger, E. W., Gregory, R. W., Mini, T., Widjaja, T., & Henfridsson, O. (2023). Skin in the Game: The Transformational Potential of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations. MIS Quarterly.

Elliott, K., Price, R., Shaw, P., Spiliotopoulos, T., Ng, M., Coopamootoo, K., & Van Moorsel, A. (2021). Towards an Equitable Digital Society: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Corporate Digital Responsibility (CDR). Society, 58(3), 179-188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-021-00594-8

Ixmeier, A., Wagner, F., & Kranz, J. (2024). Leveraging Information Systems for Environmental Sustainability and Business Value. MIS Quarterly Executive, 23(1), 57-75. https://doi.org/10.17705/2msqe.00090

Lobschat, L., Mueller, B., Eggers, F., Brandimarte, L., Diefenbach, S., Kroschke, M., & Wirtz, J. (2021). Corporate Digital Responsibility. Journal of Business Research, 122, 875-888. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.10.006

Mihale-Wilson, C., Hinz, O., van der Aalst, W., & Weinhardt, C. (2022). Corporate Digital Responsibility. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 64(2), 127-132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-022-00746-y

Mueller, B. (2022). Corporate Digital Responsibility. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 64(5), 689-700. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-022-00760-0

Trier, M., Kundisch, D., Beverungen, D., Müller, O., Schryen, G., Mirbabaie, M., & Trang, S. (2023). Digital Responsibility. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 65(4), 463-474. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-023-00822-x

Wang, Q., Pienta, D., Jiang, S., Ngai, E., & Thatcher, J. (2025). Do Good and Do No Harm Too: Employee-Related Corporate Social (Ir)responsibility and Information Security Performance. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 26(1). https://doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00908