Informa(on Management: Principles or Perspec(ves? Trevor Wood-‐Harper Innova/on, Management & Policy MBS University of Manchester 28.2.12
Sco8sh Government’s Informa(on Management Principles (2008) • Information is a Corporate Resource • Personal Responsibility • Information Accessibility • Keeping Records of What We Do • Ensuring Information is Accurate and Fit for Purpose • Compliance with Statutory and Regulatory Requirements
Sense-‐Making in Organiza(ons (Weick (1995): Relevance to Informa(on Management • Real-‐world problems do not present themselves to prac//oners as given • They must be constructed, assembled, from problema/c situa/ons – puzzling, ambiguous, make no sense • Prac//oners recognise problem se*ng as a necessary condi/on for technical problem solving • People select relevant ‘things’, set boundaries, say what’s wrong – subjec/ve process • Manager’s task: – genera/ng clear formula/on of problem situa/on – Crea/ng a structure from disorder – Giving a linguis/c formula/on to shared feelings and shared circumstances • A leader?: – shows a different way of ‘seeing’ – Tells it as it ‘might be’
The Nature of Difficul(es in Informa(on Management
(Vidgen, Avison, Wood & Wood-Harper 2003)
‘Harder’ Methods applied to Unbounded Problem Situa(ons • Systems Engineering • Informa/on Engineering • Systems Analysis • SSADM • Jackson Systems Method • Opera/ons Research • Database Design
The Nature of Messes in Informa(on Management
(Vidgen, Avison, Wood & Wood-Harper 2003)
‘SoSer’ Methods applied to Unbounded Problem Situa(ons • SWOT analysis • Strategic Choice Approach • Future Workshops • Scenario Approach • Strategic Op/on Development and Analysis (SODA) • So\ Systems Methodology (SSM)
(Sorensen and Vidal 2003)
Differences Between Hard & SoS
Approaches
SOFT
HARD
Clear goals and objec(ves Quan(fiable data Control mechanisms are clear Power is clear, known to work Unitary view of organiza(on Evolved first to meet needs of modern engineering and industrial systems • Aims to solve problems • Change Agent detached from situa(on • • • • • •
• • • • • • • •
Organiza(ons as social en((es Goals need nego(a(on Different perspec(ves-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐> Power diffuse and frequently unknown Consensus view/conflict view of organiza(on Evolved later (1960s) in response to difficul(es in using hard approaches Aims to appreciate and improve problems Change Agent part of the situa(on
(Flynn 2011)
The Learning Cycle (Kolb)
Mul(ple Perspec(ve Thinking
(NCC 2006)
Multiple Perspective Types Perspective
Technical (T)
Organizational (O )
Personal (P)
World view
Science-technology
Social entity: small to large, informal to formal
Individuation, the self
Goal
Problem solving, product
Action, stability, process
Power, influence, prestige
Mode of Inquiry
Sense-data, modeling, analysis
Consensual and adversary
Intuition, learning, experience
Ethical basis
Logic, rationality
Abstract concepts of justice fairness
Individual values/morality
Planning Horizon
Far
Intermediate
Short, with exception
Other characteristics
Looks for cause and effect Relationship Problem simplified, idealized
Agenda (problem of the moment) Problem delegated and factored Political sensitivity, loyalties
Challenge and response
Need for validation, replicability Claim of objectivity Optimization (seek best solution) Quantification Trade-offs Use of averages, probabilities
Reasonableness Satisficing (first acceptable solution) Incremental change Standard operating procedures Compromise and bargaining
Filter out inconsistent images
Make use of uncertainties Uncertainties noted Communications
Technical report, briefing
Hierarchy of individual needs
Need for beliefs Cope only with a few alternatives Fear of change Leaders and followers Creativity and vision by the few Need for certainty
Language differs for insiders, public
Personality important
(Mitroff & Linstone 1996)
The Multiple Perspective Framework for Generating a Web IS Development Methodology – WISDM/Multiview Multiple perspectives: • Technical (T) • Organizational (O) • Personal (P)
CHANGE AGENTS Would-be developers of an information system
IS DEVELOPMENT METHODS ANALYSIS
History
SOCIO
WISDM - Web IS Development Methodology (emergent)
Information Analysis
Value creation
Requirements specification
Work Design
Technical Design
User satisfaction
HCI User interface
TECHNICAL
Organizational Analysis
Software model
DESIGN
SITUATION
(Vidgen, Avison, Wood & Wood-Harper 2003)