Rapid change: Nine information technology management challenges

RAPID CHANGE: NINE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES'

ABSTRACT

Information technology is rapidly changing. This increases the complexity of IT management. Previous research hypothesized that rapid change in IT causes eleven different categories of problems for IT managers. The current study developed a survey instrument based on detailed items about such problems from that research. The instrument was mailed to a nationwide sample of 1,000 IT professionals. Two hundred forty-six provided useable data. The data supported and clarified nine of the categories of problems of rapid change in IT. The categories are Vendor Neglect, Vendor Oversell, Acquisition Dilemma, Support Burden, Resistance, Cascading Needs, New Integration, Errors, and Training Demands. The research also offers suggestions for future investigation of the problems and a potential instrument with which to conduct it. Anticipating and planning for the problems may help IT managers avoid project delays and budget overruns.

Keywords: Information systems, information technology, project management, rapid change, environment.

RESUME

Les technologies de l'information changent rapidement, ce qui augmente la complexite de leur gestion. Des etudes prealables ont suggere qu une evolution rapide des technologies de l'information pourrait causer onze types de problemes differents pour ceux qui sont charges de les gerer. A partir de ces etudes, nous avons developpe un outil de Bondage base sur certains aspects precis de ces problemes. Cet outil de Bondage a ete envoye a un groupe temoin de mille professionnels de l'information de tout le pays. Deux cent quarante-six ont fournit des resultats exploitables. Les resultats confirment et clarifient neuf des onze types de problemes lies au changement rapide des techniques de l'information. Les categories sont les suivantes: le vendeur negligeant, le vendeur trop zele, les dilemmes dans les decisions d'achat, les frais d'entretien, la resistance aux changements, les besoins qui en entrainent d'autres, la nouvelle integration, les erreurs, et les besoins de formation. l'etude apporte aussi des suggestions pour l'investigation future des problemes, et un outil possible pour Pentreprendre. l'anticipation des problemes et la planification prealable pourraient aider les managers a eviter les retards dans les projets et les depassements de budget.

1. INTRODUCTION

In recent years, information technology has skyrocketed in capability and plummeted in cost. New IT products emerge and current ones change rapidly. As a result of these changes, the challenges of managing IT today are becoming increasingly complex.

However, little is known about the IT management problems that arise from rapid IT change. Nevertheless, combined with a corporate culture more aware and accepting of IT, such change has propelled IT into an increasingly strategic role in more and more organizations. This has increased the importance of managing IT in these organizations. Simultaneously, understanding the challenges of managing today's rapidly changing IT will enhance the understanding of tomorrow's challenges.

The primary goal of this research is to clarify the challenges of rapid IT change. A secondary goal is to develop a means of measuring and thus further investigating them. Specifically, this paper describes a study of the categories of problems due to changing IT as experienced by IT organizations. It thus attempts to confirm empirically a previously proposed framework of those categories of problems.

2. IMPORTANCE OF PROBLEMS TO PRACTICE AND THEORY

Understanding the problems of rapid IT change is important to both practice and theory.

2.1 Practice

"Over the last decade, the world has been changing so rapidly that one can no longer imagine managing in a steady state. The need to adapt and change continuously has become a given in managerial life. In no other domain has this observation been more relevant than the field of information technology" (Manzoni, and Angehrn, 1998, pp. 109). Such IT change is replete with "startling innovations and drastic, unpredictable shifts in technology's direction" (Sanders, 1999, p. 62). The change is not only rapid, but also is expected to continue into the future (Benjamin and Blunt, 1992; Boar, 1994; Geisler, 1992; Horn, 1999; Peha and Strauss, 1997). In fact, the pace of change is accelerating (Anonymous, 1999; Horn, 1999).

Industry observers have suggested that this swiftly changing IT is causing difficulties for today's IT management. Traditional IT structures cannot cope with continual change and the rapid introduction and utilization of information technologies (Boar, 1994; Boar, 1998). New IT must be absorbed, mastered, and controlled. This demands the ability to apply new ideas and practices that in turn require abstract thinking, problem solving, and inference (Montealegre, 1998). As a result, new IT is difficult to manage (Bhattacherjee, 1998).

Thus realizing the potential of new IT while avoiding associated risks can pose a complex challenge to IT management. Mistakes can be costly and IT managers cannot be experts on all emerging ITs. Because of the lengthy duration of IT acquisition and implementation processes, many ITs become old before ever actually contributing to their intended purpose. In fact, a new IT can even become obsolete before its initial use in production. This vulnerability to obsolescence is especially disconcerting (Sanders, 1999). Indeed, surveys of executives have repeatedly confirmed the fact that changing IT is a major challenge to many organizations (Paul, 1994; ComputerWorld, 1995; Pearson, 1998).