Management Information Systems Charles Parker 2nd Edition Chapter 2: People and Organizations Prepared By: Hamad Raza (Lecturer GCUF)

People People is an important component of MIS which can not be ignored. Every IS needs people if it is to be useful. Users, Programmers, System Analysts and Database Administrators are just some of the people associated with IS.

Physiological Factors Most jobs in an Information System environment do not, at first, seem physically demanding. As no heavy objects have to be lifted and no one is forced into dangerous assignments in which death is a very real possibility. But MIS jobs can be physically demanding in other ways. For example: Clerks who spend continuous hours entering data into a display terminal may at the end of a day, suffer from eyestrain, headaches, neck & back problems.

Ergonomics It is field that studies computer workspaces and their effects on users is known as ergonomics. This field attempts to overcome problems associated with poorly designed computer workspaces that causes unnecessary physical and mental stress or strain.

Worker Skills and Abilities Organization behavior researchers have recognized that many on the job behaviors are affected by the skills and abilities that workers possess. The two categories of skills & abilities commonly identified are: Physical abilities Includes both basic Physical capabilities (e.g. strength, flexibility & stamina) and Psychomotor abilities such as eye- hand coordination & reaction time. Mental abilities Are concerned with intellectual capabilities of workers and are closely linked to how a person makes decisions & processes information.

Intelligence & Sophistication IS must be tailored to both level of Intelligence & level of Sophistication of the people using them. Intelligence refers basically to a person’s ability to reason. Whereas Sophistication refers largely to factors such as age & experience.

User Interfaces Memory Processes Learning IS interfaces should be designed relatively sophisticated, so that lowest capability users can easily use the computers. Memory Processes People differ in both their ability to memorize and in the speed with which they recall the facts that are committed to memory. Thus, Information systems often must be built to incorporate memory principles. Learning How people learn is an important consideration when building or upgrading computer systems. Many organizations have found training as a useful tool for learning.

Psychological Factors Basically, people think & act within the confines of what they are able & willing to do. A large number of psychological factors may contribute to the success or failure of information systems. Some of these factors are: Perception Biases Attitudes Motivation Values Cultural Factors Risk Taking Tendencies Adaptability to change Stress

Psychological Factors Perception: is two people see the same thing in different ways. Two managers, for instance, may read the same performance report & obtain radically different impressions. Perception plays a significant role during the development of information system. Bias: Almost everyone has biases of some sort that affect his or her perception and behavior. For example, many people are heavily biased by first impressions. Attitudes: An attitude is an expression of feelings about people, objects, activities & events. People with positive attitudes are often productive workers. Poor attitudes can cause people to work less effectively. Motivation: is defined as the force that energizes & sustains goal directed behavior. This force may originate from outside the individual , from internal processes, or combination of these.

Psychological Factors Risk Taking Tendencies: Risk is a measure of how people perceive & deal with uncertain outcomes. Risk factors can affect information systems in a verity of ways. Willingness to Change: Some people no matter what is done to encourage them, are reluctant to change or may refuse to do so. This type of behavior is usually found in high level managers and executives who are absolutely unwilling to work in interactively with computer systems. Stress: Stress related problems cost companies hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Culture: The way in which people think & behave is strongly influenced by the social environment, or culture, to which they are familiar. Thus, IS that worked successfully in New York may not be as effective in Tokyo. Cultures factors should be overlooked in MIS design & development.

Other Psychological Factors Several other psychological factors have important implications for information system design & development. These include following factors: Flexibility Information Overload Optimism / Pessimism

Other Psychological Factors Flexibility: People are not always sure what information they really need. Therefore, flexibility should be designed into systems whenever possible. Information Overload: An IS should be designed to only present decision makers with the relevant information that they need; it should not overwhelm them with an overabundance of unnecessary or unimportant information. Optimism / Pessimism: People are often overly optimistic about what they think can be accomplished. Therefore, MIS professional should be cautious of estimates provided by users & managers.