William N. Ledbetter

Executive or functional manager?: The nature of the CIO's job

The role of the chief information officer (CIO)_ continues to be the subject of much discussion and speculation. Is this just a new name for the MIS manager, or is there truly a new and significantly different function? How has the role of the information systems manager evolved with the changing needs of business? How does the CIO bridge the gap between the organizations strategy and its use of information technology?According to much of the prescriptive literature, bridging this gap is the CIOs definitive function. This article addresses these questions by studying five successful CIOs in five divergent industries. The CIOs were studied using the structured observation methodology employed by Mintzberg in his study of CEOs and by Ives and Olson in their study of MIS managers. The findings suggest that the CIO operates as an executive rather than a functional manager. He or she is an active participant in strategy planning and acts as a bridge between the information technology group, the functional areas, and external entities. This study provides a view of how these difficult tasks are accomplished on a day-to-day basis: through scheduled meetings, interaction outside the information technology unit, a skilled reading of situations, and a strategic focus. Factors affecting the CIOs participation in strategy planning meetings include whether he or she has formal are source allocation authority and their level of peer acceptance. Lessons learned from this research pertain to the delegation of day-to-day tasks, expenditure authority, avoiding adversarial relationships, liaison activities, careful use of language, being perceived as a user of information technology, and the need for quiet time.

Perceptions of reward systems by technologists and managers in information technology companies

The authors summarize empirical research that studied the perceptions of 91 technologists and managers about rewards systems in eight information technology companies. An analysis of the responses shows that although the companies differ in business and location, technologists and their managers share different sets of perceptions about the same reward systems. Technologists strongly perceive that they must move into management to increase their pay, status, and importance. Managers believe that their pay reflects their current responsibilities and they do not perceive that they are at a dead-end in their jobs. Although they state that technologists need not progress to management positions in their careers, managers agree that technologists must move into management to get higher pay and status. All respondents expressed a strong need for a parallel technical career ladder in their companies. >

The evolving factory of the future: integrating manufacturing and information systems

Abstract In recent years there have been rapid developments in both manufacturing and information technologies and their systems. Advances have occured so rapidly that often the results has been “islands” of automation and information subsystems, such as CAD/CAM, robotics, group technology, and office automation. Some recent developments, however, provide capabilities for integrating these “islands” into systems which both improve manufacturing productivity and produce more meaningful management information. Integrated systems seem imminent. Suggestions that could help ensure a smooth evolution toward these systems are made and some conclusions are drawn.

Simulation in corporate decision making: then and now

We present the results of a 1985 study, which replicates a 1975 study by Cox, Ledbetter, and Smith (1977), and attempt to mea sure the use of simulation modeling to support decision-making in major U.S corporations. Specifically, the purposes of the paper are to (1) measure the development and use of simulation models at all levels of decision-making (operational, tactical, and stra tegic) ; (2) examine the use of simulation within each functional area; (3) identify specific application areas within each functional area where simulation is being used; and (4) compare this studys results with those from the Cox, Ledbetter, and Smith (1977) study.

Assessing the organizational climate for OA implementation

Abstract The attitudes of employees toward any new system implementation are a critical factor in the systems success. Prior to implementing an office automation system, a study was performed in a large department comprised of ten offices in one large firm. Attitudes of employees toward office automation were assessed, as well as their level of understanding of office automation concepts and techniques, and the general communications climate within the organization. Three different questionnaires were administered, and the results were analyzed for significant differences by job level and by office, using Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA procedures. Interesting and significant findings are presented and discussed. This approach appears to have merit in gaining a clearer understanding of the organizational environment prior to implementing an office automation system. This information is critical in developing the strategy and plans for successful implementation of an office automation system.

Transition of Technical Personnel to Managers: An Investigation in Information Technology Companies

ABSTRACTAlthough many technical personnel want to make the transition to managers, they often do not understand the issues involved. This lack of understanding is especially extreme for those who are building careers in information technology companies. This study identifies the perceived issues of the transition of technical personnel to managers based on a survey of technical personnel and their managers in eight companies. Five major issues were identified: 1) the pressure to become managers; 2) the need for technical education/training; 3) the need for management education/training; 4) the fear of technical obsolescence; and 5) the ability to make waves and create change. Both technical personnel and managers strongly agreed on the need for technical and management education/training regardless of their ages or years in their current positions. They also agreed that technical personnel feel pressured to become managers. In addition, they perceived that both technical personnel and managers can create ...

The Crawford slip method

This book describes an intriguing method of group analysis and problem-solving. The method was first devised by the senior author in 1925 while trying to organize a “drawer full of notes,” and it received significant impetus when the second author became involved in 1979. Essentially, the Crawford slip method is a process of collecting single-sentence ideas on slips of paper (1/8 letter-size page), organizing the slips, analyzing, and then acting on them. While this sounds simple and straightforward, the book is a detailed description of procedures, explanations, caveats, and cautions that have been learned and refined over the years of application of this methodology to a wide range of problems.

Material Requirements Planning in a Noncomputerized Environment

This paper reviews briefly the material requirements planning (MRP) concept and shows how its major elements can assist a small manufacturer to control production and inventories for some products without the use of a computer. The prerequisite is an uncomplicated product consisting of few parts. To illustrate this, an actual application of MRP to the manufacture of greenhouses is described.

Perceptions of Time-Sharing Service firms regarding the Small Business Market

Marketing managers are surveyed to determine their perceptions of the small business market, and their capabilities and involvement in small business computing. Time-sharing firms appear to serve two distinct markets: large, diverse businesses and small businesses. A majority of the firms, however, are actively pursuing the small business market. Current involvement is greatest in manufacturing, service, and wholesale small businesses, and future involvement is believed to be greater for these areas than for retail and construction small businesses.