Overview of the multilevel research perspective: Implications for theory building and empirical research

A multilevel perspective in information systems (IS) research promotes understanding phenomena simultaneously at multiple levels of analysis. In understanding and employing the multilevel perspective, researchers may face challenges in relation to the value contribution, the terminology, and the critical differences between multilevel and single-level research. To address the challenges, this tutorial synthesizes contemporary thinking on the multilevel perspective. In particular, we clarify the various value contributions of the multilevel perspective, offer a consistent terminology for conducting multilevel research, and present a holistic overview of the guidelines in relation to theoretical model specification, operationalization, and theoretical model testing. This tutorial provides researchers with a holistic understanding of the multilevel perspective, allowing researchers to develop a deeper appreciation of the nuanced assumptions underlying the perspective. Thus, this paper contributes by helping researchers to more effectively and more flexibly engage in multilevel research.