Levers of Control

Appendix BUse and Misuse of Information Technology

No one would dispute that computer-based information systems are essential to the operation of modern businesses. These systems generate virtually all transaction and production information in large organizations. The influence of technology on management practice, however, has been uneven. Although there has been eager anticipation of a revolution in management practice as a result of information technology, this revolution has been slow to materialize. Almost twenty years ago, Chris Argyris noted:

In a recent review of the literature on management information systems implementation, I found the major theme to be unmet expectations and disappointments, especially when management information ...