Information Management: The Organizational Dimension

Contents: Preface. 1. Exploring the relationship between information technology and organizational structure. 2. Business process reengineering: a phenomenon of organization. 3. Strategic information systems: some organization design considerations. 4. Innovating with information technology. 5. An organizational approach to IS strategy-making. 6. Configuring the IS function in complex organizations. 7. Organizational arrangements for IS: roles of users and specialists. 8. IT outsourcing and the changing shape of the information systems function. 9. Mergers: the role of information technology. 10. Project management: lessons from IT and non-IT projects. 11. IT and organizational change. 12. The project sponsor. 13. Sourcing information technology capability: a framework for decision-making. Bibliography.

"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 conceptualise the organization, as the correspondence between new organizational terminology and the language of IT shows networked, virtual and knowledge-based organizations, inter-organizational alliances, distributed organizations and groupware are all examples. For some, IT represents a solution to many organizational and operational problems (including the advocates of business process redesign) 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 application and an assessment of business process redesign at both the conceptual and empirical level. The book provides an authoritative overview and helpful diagnostics of current information management challenges; it will be essential reading for IT researchers, consultants and senior IT professionals." (jacket)