Managing Computers in Large Organizations

Managing Microcomputers in Large Organizations
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/167.html
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MANAGING MICROCOMPUTERS AND END-USER COMPUTING SOME CRITICAL
ISSUES
this is so, the availability of data-analyzing capabilities and good end-user
computing support should in many cases improve the decision-making process.
There is also a flip side to using computers in decision making. A
computer, whether a micro or a mainframe, is a very powerful tool. As with any
powerful tool it is possible to use it to make powerful mistakes, inadvertently or
fraudulently. One of the potentially dangerous mistakes is a bad decision,
because it may have far-reaching consequences. Therefore, it is important to
know how decisions are being made by end users, to know that they are being
made in reasonable ways and with the organization's objectives in mind. This
concern was illustrated by an official of the Bank of America who said to me,
“We wonder how all those loan officers are deciding on loans with their IBM
PCs and Visicalcs.”
The freedom of the individual to innovate, given the right tools, is unique
in the West and most prevalent in the United States. Thus, I believe that the cost
of not providing modern information tools to end users is much greater than the
cost of a few bad decisions made more easily by the use of these powerful tools.
Our successful organizations have always depended on their employees to
improve them, to innovate, and to advance their welfare. One characteristic of
these organizations is that they provide nearly everyone with the tools needed to
be creative. A period of increasing international competition is not the time to
hold back.
Once we agree that good end-user computing resources do lead to better
decisions, we can go on to consider the difference between end-user support
from terminal-based mainframes and from microcomputers. (Mainframe here
means any large computer or minicomputer controlled by a data processing
staff.) The mainframe/micro choice must be viewed from the benefits side.
Which will do more to improve the quality of decision making? I think the
choice today depends on the specific system. There are three determining factors:
• Access to relevant data may be difficult on a stand-alone micro, but if good
communications are available the micro is no different from a terminal.
• A mainframe system with very good response time and an array of
effective, user-friendly software might provide better support of decision
making than a micro. But many mainframe
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