Title: Assessing the organizational impacts of information technology

Authors: Ritu Agarwal, Mohan Tanniru

Addresses: Department of MIS and Decision Sciences, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469-2130, USA. ' School of Management, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244-2130, USA

Abstract: The ability systematically and objectively to assess both positive and negative impacts of information technology is of crucial concern to organizations. This paper proposes a framework for a holistic assessment of the organizational consequences of information technology. Impact is assessed along the two orthogonal dimensions of breadth (local and global effects) and depth (direct and induced effects) resulting in four possible categories. Objective measures for isolating impact are identified for each category. Three illustrative applications of information technology are used to demonstrate how the framework may be operationalized. Managerial implications and insights suggested by the framework for the utilization of information technology are presented.

Keywords: direct effects; induced effects; information systems; IS impacts; information technology; local effects; global effects; technology assessment; organisational consequences.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.1992.025755

International Journal of Technology Management, 1992 Vol.7 No.6/7/8, pp.626 - 643

Published online: 24 May 2009 *

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