Information Management: Organizational Dimension, The

Description:
This volume is a sequel to Information Management: The Strategic Dimension (OUP 1988), a book which was well received by managers and academics alike. In the last decade, the pervasiveness of information technology (IT) has brought about far-reaching changes in how many managers and specialists work and, indeed, in how we conceptualize the organization. The correspondence between new organizational terminology and the language of IT demonstrates this - networked, virtual and knowledge-based organizations, inter-organizational alliances, distributed organizations and groupware all being examples. For some, IT represents a solution to many organizational and operational problems (including the advocates of Business Process Re-engineering) and the most likely way to improve business performance and gain competitive advantage. At the same time, for many managers and organizations the reality is that the risks, costs, false trails and difficulties seem to outweigh any immediate tangible advantage. The purpose of this book is to take an informed, dispassionate and constructive look at the challenges of IT and to offer insight, analysis and guidance on the ever changing IT environment, focusing in particular on managerial and organizational issues. These include centralization versus decentralization, relations between users and specialists, managing the IS function, outsourcing versus internal capabilities, project management and systems implementation, and an assessment of Business Process Re-engineering at both the conceptual and empirical level. Section 1 looks at some of the organizational horizons made possible by information technology; the next section tackles some of the challenges that face organizations who want to exploit IT in innovative and strategic ways. Section 3 examines some of the eternal questions of how to organize the IS function. In Section Four the contributors look at various aspects of project management and systems implementation. The next section examines some contemporary management questions on the agendas of Chief Information officers and their IS departments. Michael Earl's postscript integrates the volume through the framework of 'organizational fit'. The book provides an authoritative overview and helpful diagnostics of current information management challenges by some of the leading information systems researchers in Europe and the USA. The volume will be essential reading for management students, consultants, and senior IT professionals. Hardback Sales Details Published: 28.03.96 First year sales: Total: 650, UK: 264, USA: 177, EUR: 76, JAP/Branch: 88, Other: 45 Life sales: 894.

Table of Contents:
SECTION I: ORGANIZATIONAL HORIZONS; Foreword; 1. Exploring the Relationship between Information Technology and Organizational Structure; 2. Groupware in Decision Support; 3. Knowledge Strategies: Propositions from Two Contrasting Industries; 4. Business Process Reengineering: A Phenomenon of Organization; 5. Information Systems in Global Business; SECTION II: MOBILISING THE ORGANIZATION; FOREWORD; 6. Strategic Information Systems; 7. Innovating with Information Technology; 8. An Organizational Approach to IS Strategy-Making; 9. Relationships between Strategy and Business Process Reengineering; SECTION III: ORGANISING THE IS FUNCTION; Foreword; 10. Configuring the IS function in Complex Organizations; 11. Organizational Arrangements for IS; 12. The Role of the Corporate IT Function in the Federal IT Organization; 13. IT Outsourcing and the Changing Shape of the Information Systems Function; 14. Mergers: The Role of Information Technology; SECTION IV: MANAGING IT PROJECTS; Foreword; 15. Project Management: Lessons from Major IT and Non-IT Projects; 16. IT and Organizational Change; 17. The Project Champion; 18. The Project Sponsor; 19. The Successful Design of Expert Systems; SECTION V: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN IS ORGANIZATION; Foreword; 20. Sourcing Information Technology Capability; 21. The Changing Environment for IS Professionals: Human Resource Implications; 22. The Hybrid Manager; 23. The Chief Information Officer: Past, Present, and Future?; 24. Integrating IS and the Organization: A Framework of Organizational Fit