Staying Employed in the New Information Order
From "Special Report (sidebar)",  Access to Wang, March 1996
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In the last few years, management has been a visible part in the technology decisions of most organization - particularly in those decisions involving information systems. Top managers who were once reluctant to join in the discussion are now directly involved in the specification process.

Part of this is the result of the distribution of powerful desktop applications throughout the public and the resulting "demystification" of technical application issues through personal experience. Part is also due to the marketing successes of the software companies (in particular, Microsoft), who have convinced managers that staying up with the latest in information systems technology is the only route to economic survival.

Whether these applications live up to their hype is nearly irrelevant; the fact is, specific products and architectures are now routinely dictated by managers rather than selected through analysis of the organization's requirements. An good example of this is the overwhelming support for the Microsoft Office application suite in corporations, even when individual products from other vendors are shown to meet more of the needs of the organization. Another example is the ouster of functioning "proprietary" information systems (like the Wang VS) without a clear understanding of what needs they supported nor the suitability of other, more fashionable information solutions.

When faced with such a situation, IS professionals have at least three unpleasant options to choose from: implement the products as directed by management; try to change the decision or the evaluation process; or leave the organization. There is some good news, though: most of these products work reasonably well, and it is no longer as likely that projects will fail due to overblown vendor promises.

The real change is in the decision process itself: IS professionals have lost much of the respect of management and will no longer have as much control in the selection of information technology. Successful IS managers will find a way to regain some of this esteem and, thus, be allowed to influence the decision process more. Obstinate resistance to change of any sort will move the decisions away from IS management permanently.