Information Systems as Profession and Field of Academic Study
From IS Curriculum
Contents |
Guiding Assumptions About the Information Systems Profession
In conceptualizing the role of information systems in the future and the requirements for IS curricula, several elements remain important and characteristic of the discipline. These characteristics evolve around four major areas of the IS profession and therefore must be integrated into any IS curriculum:
- IS professionals exist in a broad variety of domains, including, for example, business, health care, government, and non-profit organizations. They must have a strong real world perspective. It is, therefore, essential that they understand that:
- IS are enablers of successful performance in a multitude of organizations
- IS span and integrate all organizational levels and functions
- IS professionals need both an excellent understanding of the domain within which they work and appropriate technology knowledge for their organizational role
- IS are increasingly of strategic significance because of the scope of the organizational systems involved and the role systems play in enabling organizational processes and strategies
- IS professionals must have strong analytical and critical thinking skills. Students must therefore:
- Be problem solvers and critical thinkers
- Use systems concepts for understanding and framing problems
- Be capable of applying both traditional and new concepts and skills
- Understand that a system consists of people, procedures, hardware, software, and data
- IS professionals must exhibit strong ethical principles and have good interpersonal communication and team skills. Students must understand that:
- IS require the application of professional codes of conduct
- IS require collaboration as well as successful individual effort
- IS design and management demand excellent communication skills (oral, written, and listening)
- IS require persistence, curiosity, creativity, risk taking, and a tolerance of these abilities in others
- IS professionals must design and implement information technology solutions that enhance organizational performance. Students must therefore:
- Possess skills in understanding and modeling organizational processes and data, defining and implementing technical and process solutions, managing projects, and integrating systems
- Be fluent in techniques for acquiring, converting, transmitting, and storing data and information
- Focus on the application of information technology in helping individuals, groups, and organizations achieve their goals
Information Systems as a Field of Academic Study
Computer-based information systems have become a critical part of the products, services, operations, and management of organizations. The effective and efficient use of information and communications technologies is an important element in achieving competitive advantage for business organizations and excellence in service for government and nonprofit organizations. The information technology or information systems strategy is an integral part of organizational strategy. Information systems support management processes at all levels of management(operational, tactical, and strategic). Information systems are vital to problem identification, analysis, and decision making. The importance of information technology and information systems to organizations and the need for well-educated professionals in the field is the basis for a strong link between educational programs and the professional community of IS practitioners (Mawhinney, Morrell, and Morris, 1994; Trauth, Farwell, and Lee, 1993).
Information Systems as a field of academic study began in the 1960s, a few years after the first use of computers for transaction processing and reporting by organizations. As organizations extended the use of information processing and communications technology to operational processes, decision support, and competitive strategy, the academic field also grew in scope and depth. An IS organization function emerged to manage computer and communications technologies and information resources within an organization. In the same way that universities have degree programs reflecting important organizational functions, such as financial resource management, marketing resource management, and human resource management, a degree program emerged for management of information technology and information resources. During this 30 year period of growth and change, different names have been used and the definition of the field has been enlarged. The simple term Information Systems (IS) has become the most commonly accepted, generic term to describe the discipline.
Differing Names for the Academic Field of Information Systems
Information Systems as a field of academic study exists under a variety of different names and associated with an organizational domain. The different labels reflect historical development of the field, different ideas about how to characterize it, and different emphases when programs were begun. The following terms represent a sampling of traditional names associated with the academic discipline of Information Systems associated with the business domain:
- Information Systems
- Management Information Systems
- Computer Information Systems
- Information Management
- Business Information Systems
- Informatics Information Resources Management
- Information Technology
- Information Technology Systems
- Information Technology Resources Management
- Accounting Information Systems
- Information Science
- Information and Quantitative Science
Within other domains, there are a lot of additional names specific to these areas, including medical informatics, health informatics, legal informatics, and other such fields associated with business, government, and non-profit organizations. All these differing names fall under the scope of information systems.
The Scope of Information Systems
Information Systems as a field of academic study encompasses the concepts, principles, and processes for two broad areas of activity within organizations: (1) acquisition, deployment, and management of information technology resources and services (the information systems function) and (2) development, operation, and evolution of infrastructure and systems for use in organizational processes (system development, systems operation, and systems maintenance). The systems that deliver information and communications services in an organization combine both technical components and human operators and users. They capture, store, process, and communicate data, information, and knowledge.
The information systems function in an organization has a broad responsibility to plan, develop or acquire, implement, and manage an infrastructure of information technology (computers and communications), data (both internal and external), and enterprise-wide information processing systems. It has the responsibility to track new information technology and assist in incorporating it into the organizations strategy, planning, and practices. The function also supports departmental and individual information technology systems. The technology employed may range from large centralized to mobile distributed systems. The development and management of the information technology infrastructure and processing systems may involve organizational employees, consultants, and outsourcing services.
The activity of developing or acquiring information technology applications for organizational and inter-organizational processes involves projects that define creative and productive use of information technology for transaction processing, data acquisition, communication, coordination, analysis, and decision support. Design, development or acquisition, and implementation techniques, technology, and methodologies are employed. Processes for creating and implementing information systems in organizations incorporate concepts of business process design, innovation, quality, usability and human factors, socio-technical systems, and change management.
Information systems professionals work with information technology and must have sound technical knowledge of information and communication technologies. Since they operate within organizations in a multitude of domains (such as business, health care, government, etc.), they must also understand organizations and the functions within organizations (accounting, finance, marketing, operations, human resources, and so forth). They must understand concepts and processes for achieving organizational goals with information technology. The academic content of an information systems degree program, therefore, includes information technology, information systems management, information systems development and implementation, specialized functions within a domain, and concepts and processes of organizational management.
