Information Systems and Organisations Lecture 2 Social Contexts

Information Systems and Organisations Lecture 2: Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 2 Scope and Coverage This topic will cover: • Perspectives on organisations • Social contexts for technology • Sensitivity of different organisations to types of technology initiative V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 3 Learning Outcomes By the end of this topic students will be able to: • Understand some different perspectives on organisations • Appreciate how differing perspectives affect technology introduction • Evaluate how social context affects the likely success of IS initiatives V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 4 Contents • Common perspectives on the organisations • Technology impacts • Approaches to technology initiatives • Emphasis – People and Organisations V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 5 Perspectives of the Organisation( the impact of technologies on organisations) • The reason organisations exist is to manage and organise resources to achieve goals in an effective and efficient way ( what is the purpose of organisation? what it is? ) • Specialisation of functions (sales, production, marketing etc. ) emerge from the need to manage specialist and expert resources. (why there are different departments in organisation? ) • So it can be tempting to view an organisation as a ‘machine’ designed, organised and controlled to produce a desired good (factory, hospital. . e. t. c. ) For example hospital is a machine to cure sick, factory is a machine to produce goods e. t. c. • organisation culture – the qualities & attributes. Organisation culture affects the technology too. V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 6 Different Views. . what an organisation means to a person will depend upon the effect/benefits to them • Employees (employment, money, pension, social contact, sources of power, status and career satisfaction) • Customers (goods and services) • Society (economic, societal and environmental impact) • . . the ‘machine’ metaphor is not as useful in understanding all of these V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 7 Different perspectives on organisations. Different people have different perspectives on an organisation. • We need different ways of examining organisations so that we can appreciate the impact of changes brought about by new technology. In manufacturing company ERP systems are useful, but in an educational organisation it is not very useful. • Metaphors can guide us as we study organisations – there are FOUR useful ones - Organisations as Machines (Mechanist) - Organisations as Structures (Structuralist or ‘Formist’) - Organisations as Organisms (Organicist) - Organisations as Contexts for human action (Contextualist) V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 8 Structuralism and Formism • Note – these are similar because they both involving identifying, naming and determining relationships • Of course, when we describe an organisation we usually employ a ‘table of organisation’ which is a tree structure – identifying both the names and structural relationship of parts • We will use Structuralism in this module because it is easy to think of organisations as structures V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 9 Mechanist Perspective - 1 • Operation of an organisation can be understood using an engineering approach • Changes can be made by design • Challenges are largely technical in nature V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 10 Mechanist Perspective – 2(like machines where inputs are changed to outputs. For example garment factory, hotel) • Implementation follows a rational and logical ‘planned project’ approach • Resources and costs can be accurately estimated • Outcomes and benefits can be un-ambiguously (without doubt) evaluated V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 11 Structuralist (Formist) Perspective -1 • Operation of an organisation can be understood through the description of its structure • Changes can be made by adjusting structures • Challenges relate to getting resources in the right place (structure) V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 12 Structuralist (Formist) Perspective -2 • Implementation is an administrative process • Resources and costs can be accurately estimated • Outcomes and benefits can be un-ambiguously evaluated V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 13 Organicist Perspective - 1 • Operation of an organisation is similar to a living being • Changes occur by development and growth in the right environment • Challenges are related to achieving the right environment (internal and external) V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 14 Organicist Perspective - 2 • Implementation is contingent (may or may not)and involves many factors • Resources difficult to gauge(measure) in advance • Outcomes and benefits take time to emerge (grow) V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 15 Contextualist Perspective - 1 • Operation of an organisation can be understood as the result of competing interests and differing interpretations. • Changes result from social and political action • Significant challenges are often political in nature V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 16 Contextualist Perspective - 2 • Implementation follows both ‘overt’(observable or open) and ‘covert’(not open) processes • Resources and costs subject to negotiation • Outcomes depend on who is evaluating them V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 17 Approaches 1 • Mechanism and Structuralism are clearly related and conform to an instrumental ‘hard’ paradigm (model/pattern)when considering technological change • The aim of technology in this approach is more effective and efficient ways of doing things • Motivations are economic, to achieve more with less resource • The balance between quality of outcomes and efficiency is market and competitor driven V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 18 Approaches 2 • Similarly, organicism and contextualism, so called ‘soft’ paradigm approaches are related • The aim of technology in this approach is much more open to interpretation • Motivations for technological change tend to serve particular political ends or social agendas • Particular interests and situations tend to override efficiency considerations in both planning and evaluation V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 19 Different approaches to an organisation summarised Mechanist approach – engineering approach Structuralist approach – is administrative Organicit approach – process of learning and growth, so the importance is for people and their development. Contexualist approach- change is a political process, the approach will emphasise negotiation and accommodation. V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 20 Real Organisations • Exhibit characteristics that reflect all the paradigms • All paradigms are useful as a way of approaching change V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 21 Culture of Organisations • • Characterised in many ways METHODs of Management and Control MEANINGs ascribed to Ideas, Actions and Events NORMs of Behaviour • A Shared HISTORY and LANGUAGE – including taboos about what may be said and how it may be said V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 22 Focus and Organisation Type • Cooper and Quinn et al describe organisations as having cultural types that may be expressed in terms of TWO axes: - INTERNAL or EXTERNAL focus AND - FLEXIBLE or ORDERED method of management • The classification is shown in the next slide, together with Information Systems that fit well within these cultures V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 23 Information Systems & Cultural Types (of organisation) Human relations FLEXIBILITY CAI(computer aided instruction) Group decision support E-Mail and conferencing Intranets Open systems Environmental scanning and filtering Inter-organisational linking Doubt and argument promoting Social Networking ? Extranets INTERNAL EXTERNAL Modelling Forecasting Sensitivity analysis CRM ? Internal monitoring Internal controlling Record keeping Optimising (e. g. typical Enterprise System) Internal process V 1. 0 ORDER Rational goal Cooper (1994) and Quinn et al (2003) © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 24 Examples Might Be… • • Human Relations – Social Work Organisation Open Systems – Advertising Agency Internal Process – Manufacturing Plant Rational Goal – Oil Exploration Company • Of course, most organisations may have elements of any cultural type present, particularly if they are large organisations with diverse goals and resources V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 25 Impact of Technology • Influenced by TYPE and Culture of Organisation or part of organisation • e. g. Human Relations, Open Systems, Internal Process or Rational Goal • Influenced by PERSPECTIVE/APPROACH • e. g. Mechanist, Structuralist, Organicist or Contextualist V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 26 References • Hassall, J. C. (1999 and 2010), “Some Thoughts on Information Systems and Organisations “, unpublished monograph, source • Boddy, D. , Boonstra , A. , Kennedy, G. (2008) Managing Information Systems : strategy and organisation 3 rd ed. FT Pearson. ISBN-13: 978 -0273 -71681 -5 XXXX V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Lecture 2 - 2. 27 Lecture 2 – Social Contexts and Perspectives on IS Any Questions? V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited