A cross‐disciplinary model for improved information systems analysis

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/02635570010353848
Published date01 November 2000
Date01 November 2000
Pages359-369
AuthorThomas P. Loughman,Robert A. Fleck,Robin Snipes
Subject MatterEconomics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations
A cross-disciplinary model for improved information
systems analysis
Thomas P. Loughman
Columbus State University, Columbus, Georgia, USA
Robert A. Fleck, Jr
Columbus State University, Columbus, Georgia, USA
Robin Snipes
Columbus State University, Columbus, Georgia, USA
Introduction
Several major influences have shaped the
current understanding of the role
information systems play in organizations.
The first is the universal awareness that
information is critical to an organization's
performance and survival. This awareness
has been heightened over the last several
decades because of burgeoning competition
at home and abroad, rapidly changing
environments and technology (especially
information technology), and the
accelerating speed at which decisions are
expected to be made.
Second, researchers and managers have
become convinced of the importance of a
well-trained and committed work force. The
high costs of recruiting, hiring, and training
new employees underscore the importance of
retaining qualified workers through
attention to their physical, psychological,
and social needs. An upsurge in customer
service and quality issues intensifies the
necessity to engender employee competence
and commitment.
Third, research is continuing to provide a
more complete understanding of the complex
and necessary interplay of humans with
technology to achieve organizational
objectives. Put simply, it is no longer
desirable, either physically, psychologically,
socially or economically, to fashion our
technology first and attempt to ``force fit''
people to it.
Fourth, systems theory has made clear that
changes made in one part of a system create
changes in other system areas: a ``total
system'' approach to organizational analysis
attempts to recognize how all system
elements work together.
Fifth, because people and technology
reciprocally shape each other, to develop a
deep understanding of the total system
requires analyzing people and technology
and their interactions. To study only one part
of interactive system elements in isolation
invariably produces an incomplete and
perhaps distorted view of the system. One
approach to understanding how humans and
technology work together in organizations is
called sociotechnical design (Bostrom and
Heinen, 1977).
Several important insights gathered from
studying people in sociotechnical systems
are pertinent to systems analysis:
.people do not always use ``rational''
methods to make decisions; political
methods can be as pervasive, if not more
so;
.they view their world metaphorically and
symbolically as well as literally;
.they will not always do what they are told
to do;
.they can be very creative in sabotaging
structures and processes they fear or
dislike; and
.the formal organization exhibited in the
organizational chart inadequately
describes how organization members
actually conduct their business.
While systems analysis researchers and
practitioners appreciate that more needs to
be known about the relationships between
technology and human users, systems
analysis has yet to devise a systematic method
to discover working details about those
relationships. A review of systems analysis
literature reveals a great deal of attention to
data, processes, entities, objects, trees,
diagrams, decisions, hardware and software,
but little about the human users of
information systems. Failure to account for
people is a major factor in misunderstanding
sociotechnical systems, which most modern
organizations are (Vicente, 1999), and can
spell disaster for an information system. To
add a people dimension to organizational
analysis, other tools such as communication
auditing can provide insights that might be
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[ 359 ]
Industrial Management &
Data Systems
100/8 [2000] 359±369
#MCB University Press
[ISSN 0263-5577]
Keywords
Communication, Audit,
Systems analysis, Systems design
Abstract
As organizations seek to prosperin
ever more complex and changing
environments, they willrequire ever
more sophisticated analysisand
design tools.Current systems
analysis toolsfunction well to
identify hardware and software
requirements± the mostlytechnical
elements of systems ± but are less
well suited toaddress the human
component,an understanding of
which is crucialto successful
organizational analysis anddesign.
The best technically designed
system can easilyfail when human
factors are notexplicitly included.
The authors show how a
combinationof systems analysis
and communication auditing
methods can jointly optimizeboth
the social and technical elements
of organizations as they undergo
design or businessprocess re-
engineering.As a result of thisjoint
optimization, the authors maintain
that systemsanalysis tools are
enriched and thereby enable
system designers to explicitly
include humanand organizational
communication factors intoan
informationor business system. A
theoreticalmodel and
implementation examples are
provided.

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