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,Week 1 - Information Systems
1.1 Definition of IS
Three definitions of ‘Information System’:
● “Information systems (IS) is the study of complementary networks of hardware and
software that people and organizations use to collect, filter, process, create, and
distribute data.”
● “Information systems are combinations of hardware, software, and telecommunications
networks that people build and use to collect, create, and distribute useful data, typically
in organizational settings.”
● “Information systems are interrelated components working together to collect, process,
store, and disseminate information to support decision making, coordination, control,
analysis, and visualization in an organization.”
Definition Information System (according to Gabriele Picolli):
“Information Systems are formal, sociotechnical, organizational systems designed to collect,
process, store and distribute information.”
● Invisible system within an organization. Combination of technology and people working
with it in certain processes. Technology (tool) plays a role here. It is entire structure of
information provision. Focus is on the formal information.
● Example: decision support systems, learning management systems, transaction
processing systems
Information Technology
● Defined as hardware, software, and telecommunication equipment.
● Subset of an information system, helps improve productivity and efficiency using
technology.
● IT is a cornerstone of any modern IS.
● IT enables and constrains action through rules of operation that stem from its design.
● Example: telephone and radio equipment, computer applications
Process
● Defined here as the series of steps necessary to complete a business activity.
● The same activities can be performed using a variety of different business processes.
IS Failure
● The potential discrepancies between business processes as designed by the
organization and the way they are actually enacted by people is often the root cause of
IS failure.
● When designing a new IS or when confronted with IS failure, it helps to think about what
possible obstacles exist that may make it difficult for employees to accurately follow the
business process.
Social system
People
● Individuals or groups directly involved in the information system:
○ End users
○ Managers
○ IT-professionals
● A genuine understanding of the people involved, including their skills, interests, and
motivations, is necessary when designing and implementing a new IS or when
troubleshooting an existing IS that is not performing as expected
Structure
● The organizational design (hierarchy, decentralized); reporting (functional, divisional,
matrix); and relationships (communication and reward mechanisms) within the
information system
● The implicit or explicit rules that govern relationships between the people involved in the
information system
● Understanding the structure component is crucial because user resistance, incentive
systems, and relationships are often silent enemies of IS success that go undetected
before, and sometimes even after, IS failure becomes apparent
Systemic effects
● The four components of an Information System are interdependent, so changes in one
component may affect all other components of the system and, if not properly managed,
its outputs
● You must ensure the proper interaction of IT with the other components
● The importance of systemic effects is critical not only when designing a new system but
also when troubleshooting an existing one that is underperforming
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, 1.2 IS and Organizational Change
Three levels of organizational change:
● First-Order: Automate: it affects the IT and
processes. Je moet goed weten welke
informatievoorziening een organisatie nodig heeft
om een process te kunnen automatiseren wil je
succesvol zijn.
● Second-Order: Informate: change the information
people get and how to exchange the information.
Affecting the people.
● Third-Order: Transform affecting the organization
structure
First-Order Change: Automate
● First-order change only affects the Technical
System
● It occurs when an IT innovation is introduced that
modifies how an existing process is performed
● Managing it is:
○ Easiest to envision
○ Easiest to justify
○ Easiest to manage
● First order change requires little executive
sponsorship or involvement
● Example: instead of going to a desk, passengers
can now check in by themselves. The process is
automized.
Second-Order Change: Informate
● Second-order change affects the People
component:
○ The way individuals perform processes
and the manner in which they interact with
the technology change
● It occurs when the information intensity of the
process being performed changes substantially
due to the introduction of new IT.
● Key challenges on managing it are:
○ Provide appropriate training
○ Overcome the human tendency to resist
change
● Example: passengers can now choose a seat by
themselves. Passengers can see upon a reservation which seats are available. Also,
they receive notifications before a flight.
Third-Order Change: Transform
● Third-order change affects the Structure component. It can change the business model
or the structure (decentralization) for example.
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