Information systems (IS) are technology‐based innovations. Argues for the need to develop an approach to IS research based on studies of technological innovation in the social sciences. While research on the adoption and diffusion of innovations has become a popular approach to implementation and use issues in IS research, IS research projects should be aware of both the strengths and limitations of traditional approaches to technological innovation, and should consider building upon newer approaches that address these limitations. Identifies alternative assumptions about the innovation process that are developing across a range of technological innovation studies, and offers examples of how these ideas can be used in IS research.