Managing the Information Ecology

Information systems have become so complex and intertwined with process and politics that they now constitute an ecology in which executives must manage subtle human relationships and intricate group interactions as well as computers, networks, software, and individual experts. Hasenyager maintains that for most large corporations building better business technology linkage is a survival essential, enabling them to sustain their vital systems and simultaneously transform them to meet competitive pressures and exploit emerging technology. Written by an experienced manager, this book offers a persuasive discussion of the importance of business technology linkage and practical steps on how to build it in your company. It focuses on management essentials — deciding how much to spend and invest, choosing how to organize, and defining how to measure and reward performance.

After an analysis of how to decide how much to spend and what to spend it on, Hasenyager describes how business and technology people within an organization deal with each other. He offers a way to classify relationships based on perceived common interest among people and their relative authority, then focuses on partnerships and teams as the most effective models for business technology linkage. He describes the kinds of teams needed for system development and infrastructure management in the information ecology. With special focus on how ^Iad hoc^R teams relate to an organization's traditional hierarchy, specific suggestions are given on how to establish accountability within teams and how to evaluate team performance. The book concludes with state-of-the-art information connecting organization structure, business technology linkage, and company profitability, followed by 14 principles of information technology management. Senior corporate managers will find this a unique, provocative, and constructive addition to their personal and company libraries on management skills and methods.

BRUCE W. HASENYAGER is a senior executive with 30 years of experience managing technology for demanding businesses. He has held executive management positions with Citibank, Kidder Peabody, Merrill Lynch, and Chemical Bank, where his application of technology to system-development mamagement was the subject of a Harvard Business School case study. He served most recently as Chief Technology Officer for the Houston-based investment management firm AIM Management Group.