Managing Computers in Large Organizations

Managing Microcomputers in Large Organizations
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/167.html
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PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH AUTOMATION 112
departments provide expertise in recruiting, compensation, development,
evaluation, and training. However, management of the human resources is not
the responsibility of the personnel department but of managers at various
department and section levels.
Information management should be considered in the same light. For too
long it has been delegated to the EDP or MIS department. Yet computers are no
more complex to manage than people. Every manager and information worker
needs to understand what information is needed, where it is, who controls it,
how good it is, and how to get it. Plans to improve information availability, cut
costs, and measure performance should be made annually, just like human
resource development plans.
How to make people recognize that information management is part of
every manager's job is another question. Leadership needs to come from the
information systems ranks. Identifying the chairman, president, or business unit
vice-president who will be the role model in the organization is essential.
Articles in periodicals such as the Harvard Business Review, Fortune, and
Business Week, which popularize the role of information management, will also
be helpful.
Reynolds has given priority to four technical issues. First, we need a data
dictionary that spans the full range of automation devices from personal
computers to departmental machines to corporate mainframes. The second issue
is access. Once we know what information is located where, access must be
available to all who need it. The access issue leads directly to privacy and
security issues. Information must be available only to those who should have it,
and in a fashion that assures individual privacy.
The fourth technical issue involves optimal selection of devices and
networks. Presently we analyze stated needs and select the best devices to meet
these needs. We then build networks to connect the devices. A better approach
would be to feed all sources and uses of data to a model that provides the best
combination and use of computers, terminals, and networks.
On the management side of the equation, we have identified a number of
difficult open issues. One of the major issues we will face, both as individuals
and as organizations, is how to implement productivity improvements. If a
group of 10 clerks increases its productivity by 50 percent, a fairly
straightforward
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