Change Management

As I worked on my paper, I had to think quite a bit about how new technologies can be introduced. Also, in the technology-related projects that I have been involved with at work, it's very difficult to figure out where to start. This is actually the case with most large projects, whether they are related to technology, or not.

I think for this reason, the "Organizations as Systems" section in Chapter 9 of Managing Information Technology stuck out to me. I appreciated the model (based on the Leavitt diamond) that included the fundamental components of organization.

In comparison to some of the studies we've come across in class, the technology projects that I have worked on have been very small. Still, they bring up the issues of people, information technology, business processes, and organization structure. Several years ago, we undertook a project to put literacy labs in all of our regionals. Even within those four fundamental components, it's hard to know where to start. When do you bring in the staff at those libraries? Do you have your entire plan formulated before you talk to them, so they feel that you've thought out the details? Or, do you meet with them first, so that they feel they've had an opportunity for significant input? Will their staff people have to assist with the technology that we're adding, or is it simply in their space? Do we start attending staff meetings to explain the literacy labs before the labs are built, or wait until the computers are up, so that we can train and demonstrate?

When undertaking a new project, it's important to really consider the various parts of your "system" that your project will affect. Thinking in terms of people, information technology, business processes, and organization structure may really be a simple way to help you cover all your bases.

E. Wainwright Martin, Carol W. Brown, Daniel W. DeHayes, Jeffrey A. Hoffer, and William C. Perkins. Managing Information Technology, 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005.