Policy, Team, and Information Technology Differences - Coursework Example

POLICY, TEAM AND INFROMATION TECHNOLOGY Affiliation POLICY, TEAM AND INFROMATION TECHNOLOGY Introduction Development of management information systems has proved to be one of the primary motivations in the production process of the organizations. A variety of informatics has since been developed and implemented by diverse groups in different industries. These systems though do have distinct traits that make them suitable for particular functions within the organization. As the teams interact with the information technologies, they conform to specific policies that guide the general operations of the organization. The information technologies in the discussion are the departmental and enterprise information systems. The study will investigate the various policies that guide the two systems use in different groups, and how the teams are affected by their implementation while analyzing the differences and possible solutions that would permit their efficient use in the organization. Policies of the information systems Information technology in organizations ensures that all the departments and organizational level uses the system in the group operations of their daily process, efficiency in their work and for administration purposes in the best interest that are allied to the organization goals and objectives. The information technologies cover a broader range of functions and for the efficiency, the system requires that less or nominal interference made to them by the departmental and organizational levels (Ngai, Chau,& Chan,2011). Dissimilar groups and departments though have implemented diverse information systems to their functions that foremost comprise of the departmental and enterprise information systems. The two data structures have distinctive features that facilitate them to adapt to different policies within the group. The departmental information system mainly construes utilizing the fundamental functions of the departments and organizational levels. The procedures are defined and consolidated to provide a single management with the overview of its operations and more often than not associated with a small organization or a sole unit of the groups. The enterprise policies aids in making decisions inside the departments and organizational levels as they provide an array of information from diverse sources (Xu, 2011). Reducing costs and providing easier administration are other policies that the enterprise system seeks to address with the departments and organizational levels. The enterprise system majorly associates with large organizations and have the propensity to deal with the groups holistically. The two systems, therefore, attempt to bond the operation of the institutions through the outcome that enables them to accomplish their goals (Kleis, Chwelos, Ramirez & Cockburn, 2012). Teams and information technology Information technologies have turned out to be an integral part of success in mainstream organizations. The systems are beneficial as of the global corporations who have databases and numerous systems within their ranks to non-reputable organizations that rarely have possession of a computer. The ever present information technology in the modern organizations can be accredited to their usage by different teams of fastidious groups (Tallon & Pinsonneault, 2011). The adoption of technology by organizations has made their work undemanding as most of the operations are definite. Information is passed with no difficulty that has ensured interruptions are reducing in the production process while culture and standards of the units adhered to. In technology, organizational teams find various ways to articulate the many pressing issues within the group. One such spot where information technology has contributed toward organizations is communication. In the past, an email was used as the principle means of communication within the organization. The means was simple and economical that made it easier for the management to acclimatize the system (Bose & Luo, 2011). Even though it is of no doubt that emails were and are still convenient for communication, information technology development provides for supplementary alternatives that make communication within organization appealing. Information technology has led to the emergence of the smartphones that allows employees of the various teams to communicate with ease, video conferencing, live charts and online communication tools within the groups. The systems provide for a variety of communication platforms that offer a real interaction in the organization. According to Bengtsson and Ågerfalk in their study of (2011), they observed that the interface between the teams and the management presumably is the best gauge of good performance in the organization. Other merits of information technology to the teams are on data management, decision making and inventory controls within the organizations. The enterprise systems of information technology have the capacities to store large data that eliminate the consistent paperwork of filing by the assorted teams (Scarpino & Chicone, 2011). Information is centralized and easily accessible to the team leaders and management. Through information technology, information can be obtained by the use of the internet that provides a range of ideas exacting to a particular problem. This acts as the sources with references and with the communications from the management, the teams can make reliable decisions concerning the operations of the group. Information technology though requires some technical know-how if the teams are to maximize on their outputs. Training and constant research on the new changes have therefore become priorities to major teams. The employee of the various groups within organizations must be made knowledgeable if the organization is to benefit from their investments (Jenkin, Webster & McShane, 2011). New inventions are also more available in the markets, and the team should be made ready to adapt them in case need be so and ensure that they conform to the latest models. The organizations can identify folks who are skilled in the use of particular information technologies to avert recurrent training that possibly will be expensive to the organization. Making persons available within teams ensure that operations are less interfered with the purpose of maintaining the goals and objectives as stipulated. Differences between departmental and enterprise information systems (IS) groups in organization Information systems derive their usage by simplifying the data generated utilizing the organizations inputs to enable the management generate new ideas that are useful in operations. Managers at all times can add more data to the information systems to ensure their effectiveness within the organization (Ngai, Chau,& Chan, 2011). The information systems have an array of benefits to the organization that includes communication, decision making, and easier operations just but to mention a few. Due to the enormous advantages of the information, organizations have adopted the use of departmental and enterprise information systems as they deem fit to their operations. The two systems have distinctive features within their applications within the organization. Managers have been struggling with the systems from the time when they were incepted hoping that they have a linear progression from one to another but proved otherwise. The initial difference between departmental systems and enterprise systems in group organization is that the former is simple to use while the latter is a complex model. The corporate software only concerns with the desires of one group. The systems are solely concerned with the needs of a particular group in a mode depriving them the opportunity to take care of other agencies (Jenkin, Webster & McShane, 2011). The information from and away of the software are defined and delivers solitary as a feature. For instance, a shopping management tool that is only capable to understand the movement of materials in the organization but cannot handle storage neither distribution. These functions are quite contrary to the enterprise systems. The business information systems manage the wishes of many persons and operations in a behavior that all organizations wants are catered for (Xu, 2011). The enterprise system brings together all the data sources and different functions of the organizations that ensure that the objectives are well synchronized. Departmental systems support the internal operations of the organizations merely. Through the corporate information systems, the company finds valid time to assess its foremost business objectives. The systems highlights to the organization the levels of production, accounting and order processing that are essential to the operations of the organization (Kleis, Chwelos Ramirez & Cockburn, 2012). An Enterprise system goes beyond the departmental systems to the external operations of the business. The enterprise system establishes the market for the organization products, those suitable to provide and make available the required materials (Scarpino & Chicone, 2011). In this regard, an enterprise system is total round software that makes the organization needs to be collectively found in one system that makes the work process and decision an easier task. How to resolve issues arising from departmental and enterprise information systems The management forms the departments with ease but aligning the organizational, and corporate policies become an uphill task to determine. Due to the major connectivity within the organizations in the daily functions and operations, and as the humans become more accessible to data, vulnerabilities will always arise within the group. The security threats imposed by the systems must, therefore, be addressed by the team through various communication networks. Bose and Luo, (2011), proposed the implementation of the heterogeneous networks within the organizations that has the internet network availability to all departments apart from being a cost-effective system. The systems provide a well-trusted communication platform to vast groups within the organization. The ideas are fortunate due to a study by Scarpino and Chicone, (2011) as they supported the systems due to its capability to accommodate all the stakeholders within the organization eliminating conflicts. Another method to reduce the issues between departmental and the enterprise system is by the use of focus groups as a communication network. Focus groups are entities that are made up of members from various departments. Organizations can use these groups to assess inter-departmental relations and come up with ways of facilitating interdepartmental teamwork and communications. The group will come up with platforms on which various departments can share information smoothly without destabilizing the internal operations of every department (Kleis, Chwelos Ramirez & Cockburn, 2012) The management can as well adapt the use of networks provided by enterprise systems as an essential communication that reduces the inefficiencies that arise due to the different methods being employed in the organization. Through the enterprise systems, collaborations are made possible that is a crucial component of any organization operations (Xu, 2011). The system can endow with more communication avenues and accommodate the entire the desires of both the departmental and organizational policies. The two level systems must align with the objectives of the organization goals that are a significant policy contribution for the enterprise contribution. Issues such as the internal and external desires of the organizations can well be managed under one system avoiding conflicts while providing enough security to the organization data. Conclusions The use of information technology in the organization should that conforms to the policies of the groups. Different groups have diversified systems that provide the guidelines for their operations. For the organizations to maximize on their investments, the various information systems should be used in their respective functions. The use of the right systems enables teams to integrate their use easily that makes the work process a simple process. As the differences arises though due to the use of different information system organizations can always enact a complete system like the enterprise information system that is a complete technology and eliminates any threats that might arise. In the ending, information technology is a significant driving force in growth in organizations and their continual use only helps the groups to improve their productivity. References Bose, R., & Luo, X. (2011). Integrative framework for assessing firms’ potential to undertake Green IT initiatives via virtualization–A theoretical perspective. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 20(1), 38-54. Bengtsson, F., & Ågerfalk, P. J. (2011). Information technology as a change actant in sustainability innovation: Insights from Uppsala. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 20(1), 96-112. Jenkin, T. A., Webster, J., & McShane, L. (2011). An agenda for ‘Green’information technology and systems research. Information and Organization, 21(1), 17-40. Kleis, L., Chwelos, P., Ramirez, R. V., & Cockburn, I. (2012). Information technology and intangible output: The impact of IT investment on innovation productivity. Information Systems Research, 23(1), 42-59. Ngai, E. W., Chau, D. C., & Chan, T. L. A. (2011). Information technology, operational, and management competencies for supply chain agility: Findings from case studies. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 20(3), 232-249. Scarpino, J. J., & Chicone, R. (2011). An Analysis of An Enterprise Mobility Software Company–Managing software quality and Maintaining A Competitive Edge In Fluctuating Periods of Corporate Growth: A Case Study Issues in Information Systems Volume XII. Tallon, P. P., & Pinsonneault, A. (2011). Competing perspectives on the link between strategic information technology alignment and organizational agility: insights from a mediation model. Mis Quarterly, 35(2), 463-486. Xu, L. D. (2011). Enterprise systems: state-of-the-art and future trends. Industrial Informatics, IEEE Transactions on, 7(4), 630-640. Read More