Backlash has been described as a complicated struggle over normativity The WritePass Journal

Backlash has been described as a complicated struggle over normativity Abstract Backlash has been described as a complicated struggle over normativity Abstract1. Introduction2. The Concept of Backlash3. Backlash and the Contemporary Positions of Men and Women in Organisations4. ConclusionReferencesRelated Title: Backlash has been described as a complicated struggle over normativity (Robinson, 2000). What does this mean? How can the concept of backlash help us understand the relative positioning of men and women in organizations? Abstract Men have historically occupied an invisible, gendered space within the work environment. Their privileges compared to women, and their power compared with women, have gone unnoticed through this invisibility.  Ã‚   Through feminism, there has gradually arisen an awareness of these hidden inequalities, and the ways in which men have been prioritised as the ‘neutral’, over-riding voice in the workplace. This awareness has led to some redistribution of power, as women take on greater responsibility, more powerful roles, and obtain better pay. However, the consequences of this have been that men have, in some instances, started to see themselves as victims of women’s growth in the workplace through the phenomenon of backlash. Although seemingly a simple concept, backlash is complex and tricky to measure, and has a number of consequences for both men and women.  Ã‚   The notion of normativity helps us understand the ways in which victimhood has been appropriated by some men to reclaim the power they feel they have lost.  Ã‚   Ideas around backlash and normativity have had a number of repercussions for the workplace and organisational politics, some detrimental to women’s position, although there are suggestions that the right approach to equality can overcome these issues. 1. Introduction The following essay will look at the concept of ‘backlash’, the notion that people are resisting structured organisational attempts to ensure that marginalised workers are employed and given opportunities for promotion. While the concept embraces a number of marginalised workers, for example people of colour and people with disabilities (Burke and Black 1997), this essay will consider only the case of ‘backlash’ for men against women employees.  Ã‚   Male ‘backlash’, it has been claimed, has existed for some considerable time, and is stronger now than in the past (Faludi 1991).   Backlash can be unconscious: men may be unaware that they hold the attitudes they do towards women (Burke and Black 1997). First, the notion of ‘backlash’ will be discussed, and the ideas that it presents â€Å"a complicated struggle over normativity† (Robinson, 2000) analysed. Next, the essay will consider how the notion of backlash is useful for understanding the hierarchical relationships between men and women in organisations. 2. The Concept of Backlash In order to understand the concept of backlash, it is first necessary to look more closely at men’s position within organisations.  Ã‚   It has been argued that men’s status as gendered goes unnoticed by themselves and by others within the organisation.  Ã‚   Men are assumed to be the norm, and to speak for the whole of human kind (Nelson 2006).   Typically, men in organisations are unaware of themselves as men, with â€Å"self-knowledge as gendered subjects †¦ noticeably absent† (Whitehead 2001, p. 309).  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, the state of being a man means occupying one of (at least) two possible gendered positions.   While gender is a visible ‘fact’, with most (but not all) men and women being visually distinguished as such, behind this ‘fact’ â€Å"gender is enacted, and society has a pattern of practices and expectations that make this enactment visible† (Bilimoria and Kristin, 2007, p. 38).   Ã‚  Ã‚  While often seen as a genderless, cerebral environment, the workplace, no less than other cultural and social contexts, is one in which organisational decisions are made in an embodied, gendered context (Whitehead and Moodley 1999).   Within the workplace, gender differences exist both visibly and invisibly, and at a number of different levels.   One of the most important of these levels is the symbolic: the ways in which language, clothing, physical symbols, printed media and similar function to express positions about gender. Ideas, attitudes and perceptions also contribute to the complex mix of engenderment in the organisation. The social and political structures of an organisation might appear neutral, however it is likely to be based upon invisible engenderment at deeper levels (Blanpain et al 2008). It should be noted, however, that recognition of the gendered nature of the workplace should not be taken as a simple binary between male and female: â€Å"transgender identities further complicate notions of the gendered subject†. Additionally, invisibilities of sexuality further complicate the matter: the relationship of lesbian to womanhood, and the gay man to masculine identities, needs also to be considered   (Melzer 2006). There is an unfair balance of power between men and women in the workplace, with men generally getting better pay, conditions and holding higher positions within organisations. Women’s abilities as leaders often go unnoticed or are ignored, and the phenomenon of the ‘glass ceiling’ is well-documented (Haslett et al 1992).   This unfair balance seems to be a function of men’s invisibility as gendered subjects: if men are perceived unconsciously to be the norm, then women are by definition outside the norm, and are consequently subject to poorer work conditions including pay and promotion. One reaction to this is for the oppressed groups to act to make people aware of men’s privileges and bring to light their hidden engenderment.   This opens the possibility of making the inequalities between men and women visible to all.   Mutua (2006) describes â€Å"unearned benefits† which men possess, just by being born men, and suggests that rather than seeing the inequalities between men and women in the workplace in terms of how poorly women are treated, we reverse this and look at, for example, how much more men earn on average than do women (Mutua 2006). In general, there has been a concerted effort in many countries to make gender inequalities in the workplace more visible (Kabeer et al 2008). This can, however, make the privileged group – men – defensive and angry.   By making people more aware of male engenderedness, and by   bringing   the inequalities that this hides to light, ‘backlash’ can result, as men start to see themselves as victims.  Ã‚   As such, they begin to occupy an ambivalent position, both invisible and visible. There are reasons for men to claim both these states. Robinson suggests that men have good reason to want to be invisible, as invisibility allows them to continue to enjoy benefits that women cannot access.   However, they can also gain from being visible, and visible as an oppressed group, a victim of female power (Robinson 2000).   Faludi (1991) made the concept of ‘backlash’ popular.   While, she suggested, anti-feminist feeling has always played a part in modern America, there have been particular incidences of backlash in recent history, particularly when â€Å"women are poised to make real gains in social and political life† (Boyd 2007, p. 5).   For Faludi (1991) backlash works by presenting an opposite position as the truth, and by blaming women for wider social difficulties, that is, blaming feminism for creating problems for women, rather than offering a solution to such problems (Walby 1997) The notion of ‘backlash’ is often presented as a simple reaction by men against a growth in women’s rights. However, the idea is more complex than this suggests. For example, it can cover different types of male resistance to attempts to redress inequalities between the sexes: men who may once have approved of this in principle, but now no longer do so, and those who have never approved of equality for women (Goode 1982). Backlash has also changed over time, with Faludi (1991) arguing that it is more common now than in the past. This increase may be down to a number of reasons including increased competition in organisations for pay and position, the growth of political correctness in the workplace, and increased media coverage of gender inequalities. Men are also increasingly aware of how the workplace is changing, with women gradually gaining more power and taking on roles that used to be the sole preserve of men (Burke and Black 1997).   Backlash can also be seen as a function of male insecurity over a changing world, as men blame women’s increased power for ills which befall them.  Ã‚   These feelings are fuelled by a predominantly right-wing media and corporate culture (Kimmel 2004). Estimates vary regarding the prevalence of backlash. Early studies (Astrachan 1986; AMOI 1988) suggested that up to 90% of men were in favour of women maintaining a traditional role.   While backlash in organisations seems to have been clearly identified, there are relatively few empirical studies assessing its prevalence, and a lack of clarity about the best ways of measuring it. Many researchers use the Implicit Association Test, a wider social psychology test designed to measure automatic associations between mental concepts in memory as a way of quantifying implicit stereotypes about gender (Rudman and Glick 2001) There are also different understandings of the impact of backlash on the wider workplace: backlash can increase tension between men and women, makes bonds between men stronger, and can fracture relationships between women to the extent that women have carved a role within the male environment or not (Burke and Black 1997). Backlash is sometimes known as ‘competing victim syndrome’, a term used by Cox (1995) to describe the ways in which, in education, boys interest groups tried to define a position of victims of feminism (Mills 2001). There are several factors which can exacerbate backlash.     If an organisation lacks effective communication both about the phenomenon of backlash and measures that can be taken to combat it, men are likely to be suspicious of any changes. If a clear case is made for proactive measures for women, backlash is less likely (Gandossy et al 2006).   If men are excluded from equality planning, or if they are not seen as part of the solution to inequalities, then this can also make backlash feel worse.   Organisations can take practical steps to including men in such planning, for example identifying a core group of men who are committed to women’s rights and ensuring support from senior management (Ruxton 2004).  Ã‚   Certain organisational structures can also make backlash more intense. For example, where a culture of blame is fostered, with men seen as the causes of women’s disadvantage, men are more likely to react negatively against any perception that womenâ⠂¬â„¢s situation in the workplace is improving.   Equally, if the organisational culture has prioritised men and masculinity, perhaps unconsciously, men may react more strongly against women’s improving situation (Angus 1993). It is also possible that backlash is stronger in organisations where a higher number of minority employees have been taken onto the workforce. As we have seen, the concept of backlash is not as simple as it has sometimes been portrayed in the media (for example, a recent daily mail article appeared to blame feminism for crises in the National Health Service (Phillips 2011)), but rather, as Robinson suggested, it may rather be a complicated struggle over normativity. That is, it concerns a wider debate about the concept of the ‘norm’ and what is considered the ‘normal’ in society today.  Ã‚   The notion of the norm can be seen as rooted in concepts of the natural, and what is inherent or given in human nature, rather than a social, political or cultural construct.   By recognising that the ‘norm’ is, in fact, a construct, we open ourselves to the possibility that the given can be changed.   Feminism in general can be seen as a struggle against the notion that femininity and masculinity as they are experienced in today’s society are fixed. This notion that the female (or mal e) is a given is supported by much of contemporary science (Cameron 1995).  Ã‚   Robinson suggests, in this context, that seeing men as victims of feminism is not as straightforward as a reversal of positive discrimination, but is part of a larger debate about the ways in which normality is defined, and hence as part of a debate about normativity (Robinson 2000).   As Robinson (2000) points out, the notion of masculinity, and the understanding of what it means to be male, is open to debate, can be challenged, and may change.   He also emphasises that the debate over normativity is one about power; who holds power in society, and whether they rightfully do so. Seen in this context, the move by which men have presented themselves as victims is not simply one which happened by chance. Instead, men have been able to take on board the power that is currently vested in the ‘victim’: portraying themselves as oppressed (Bekerman and Zembylas 2011).   Backlash, under these terms, becomes a complex struggle for control over scarce resources and power over the symbolic languages in which notions of masculinity and femininity are normalised.   Men use backlash as a means of making themselves visible as men   and as victims, to accrue the benefits which come with being seen as the disadvantaged partner (Robinson 2000).   Consequently, by claiming the status of victims, men are able to maintain their position as those in power and control, with the added respect and material gains that goes along with this. Privileges are masked by the guise of victimhood which men have decided to wear.  Ã‚   It should be noted, however, this iss ue is made more complex by debates about the notion of power. Some suggest that power relationships are a myth, while there is an illusion that power is vested in the hands of a minority, in fact all groups in society are oppressed: â€Å"power is actually a form of a myth which subjugates all people† (Bad Subjects 1998, p. 55). 3. Backlash and the Contemporary Positions of Men and Women in Organisations The above suggests that backlash is a complex concept which underpins recent developments in contemporary awareness of feminism and women’s rights. But what repercussions does this have for understanding the positions of both men and women within organisations? There are signs that backlash is thriving in business and business organisations. Writing of the USA in the early years of the 21st Century, Bilimora and Piderit suggest that women were increasingly ‘opting out’ of the business world, for example moving on to start their own businesses, partly as a result of a backlash against the notion that women can ‘have it all’ and successfully juggle home and work (Bilimora and Piderit 2007).   This move to self-employment and starting one’s own business as a way of stepping outside the hostility of the male-dominated business environment has been reported elsewhere, for example The United States Small Business Association reported a 58% growth i n women running businesses (SBA 1993), while Carey and Bryant (1995) suggested that women-run businesses were expanding into previously male-dominated areas (Carey and Bryant 1995).   It has also been reported that women can experience hostility as result of special initiatives designed to promote equality, can become over insular as they bond together in women-only networks, thus ruling out the possibility of a further assault on male power structures, and open to charges of elitism (McCarthy 2004). However, some organisations have found that promoting equality measures in the right way can avoid backlash. Wittenberg-Cox and Maitland (2009) describe the case study of Nestle, who sought to prioritise gender equality within the workplace. They rejected the diversity approach popular in the USA in favour of promoting gender balance. Their approach was to involve men, and particularly male leaders, from the outset, with gender awareness workshops for leaders and executives. They found that this approach saw men committed to and leading organisational change, and the company thus â€Å"avoided the backlash that is common in companies that launch â€Å"women’s† initiatives† (Wittenberg-Cox and Maitland 2009). 4. Conclusion To summarise, men have historically occupied an invisible, gendered space within the work environment. Their privileges compared to women, and their power compared with women, have gone unnoticed through this invisibility.  Ã‚   Through feminism, there has gradually arisen an awareness of these hidden inequalities, and the ways in which men have been prioritised as the ‘neutral’, over-riding voice in the workplace. This awareness has led to some redistribution of power, as women take on greater responsibility, more powerful roles, and obtain better pay. However, the consequences of this have been that men have, in some instances, started to see themselves as victims of women’s growth in the workplace through the phenomenon of backlash. Although seemingly a simple concept, backlash is complex and tricky to measure, and has a number of consequences for both men and women.   Ã‚  The notion of normativity helps us understand the ways in which victimhood has been a ppropriated by some men to reclaim the power they feel they have lost.  Ã‚   Ideas around backlash and normativity have had a number of repercussions for the workplace and organisational politics, some detrimental to women’s position, although there are suggestions that the right approach to equality can overcome these issues.    References AMOI (1988) ‘American Male Opinion Index’, Conde Nast, New York Angus, L B (1993) Education, inequality, and social identity, Routledge, USA/ UK Astrachan, A (1986) How Men Feel: Their responses to Women’s Demands for Equality and Power,   Anchor, New York. Bad Subjects Production Team (1998) Bad subjects: political education for everyday life, NYU Press, USA. Bekerman, Z and Zembylas, M (2011) Teaching Contested Narratives: Identity, Memory and Reconciliation in Peace Education and BeyondAuthorsZvi Bekerman, Michalinos ZembylasPublisherCambridge University Press, 2011 Bilimora, D and Piderit, S K (2007) Handbook on women in business and management,   Edward Elgar Publishing, 2007 Cheltenham Glos. Blanpain, R, Dickens, L and Kaj, S (2008) Challenges of European employment relations: employment regulation, trade union organization, equality, flexicurity, training and new approaches to pay, Kluwer Law International, The Netherlands. Boyd, S B (2007) Reaction and resistance: feminism, law, and social change, UBC Press, USA Burke, R J and Black, S (1997), ‘Save the Males: Backlash in Organisations’, Journal of Business Ethics, 16, 933-942. Cameron, D (1995) Verbal hygiene: The politics of language, Routledge, UK Carey, A, and Bryant, B (1995)   Women-owned business growth, USA Today, USA Faludi, S (1991) Backlash: The Undeclared War Against Women, Random House, London Gandossy, R P, Tucker, E and Verma, N (2006) Workforce wake-up call: your workforce is changing, are you?, John Wiley and Sons, USA Goode, W J (1982) ‘Why Men Resist’, in B Thorn and M Yalom (eds.) Rethinking the Family: Some Feminist Questions, Longman Inc. New York Greenwald, A. G., McGhee, D. E., Schwartz, J. K. L. (1998) ‘Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: The Implicit Association Test’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1464-1480. Haslett, B, Geis, FL and Carter, M R (1992) The Organizational Woman: Power and Paradox, Greenwood Publishing Group, USA Kabeer, N, Stark, A and Magnus E (2008) Global perspectives on gender equality: reversing the gaze, Routledge, New York /   Oxford Kimmel, M (2004) Men and masculinities, ABC-CLIO, USA Melzer, P (2006) Alien constructions: science fiction and feminist thought, University of Texas Press, USA Mills, M (2001) Challenging violence in schools: an issue of masculinities, Open University Press, UK Mutua, A D (2006) Progressive Black masculinities, CRC Press, USA Nelson, S M (2006) Handbook of gender in archaeology, Rowman Altamira, Lanham Phillips, M (2011) ‘The real reason our hospitals are a disgrace’, Daily Mail, 17th October 2011, London. Robinson, S. 2000 ‘Introduction: Visibility, Crisis and the Wounded White Male Body’, in Marked Men: White Masculinity in Crisis, Columbia University Press, New York Rudman, L A and Glick, P (2001) ‘Prescriptive Gender Stereotypes and Backlash Towards Agentic Women’,   Journal of Social Issues, 57:4, 743-762 Ruxton, S (2004) Gender equality and men: learning from practice, Oxfam, UK United States Small Business Administration (1993) Women Business Owners, SBA, Washington DC Walby, S (1997) Gender transformations, Routledge, UK. Whitehead, S M (2001) The masculinities reader, Wiley-Blackwell, Cambridge. Whitehead, S M and Moodley, R (1999) Transforming managers: gendering change in the public sector, Routledge, London. Wittenberg-Cox, A and   Maitland, A (2009)   Why Women Mean Business, John Wiley Sons, USA

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This can be explained in the sense that as a technical system, a system that fails in an organization can be successfully implemented in another organization while as a social system an Information system can be successfully implemented in an organization while the implementation of another information system can result in failure (Davies G. B. et al, 1992). Information System as a type of socio-technical system The mediating concept between actions and technology is refer to as information systems.(Beynon-Davies P. 2009). The technical system dimension consists of both operational and functional features. The operational features apply to the technology(effectiveness of the hardware or software as well as the friendliness of the technologys user interfaces) while the functional features relate to the performance relative to expected functionality . Technology as a component of the technical system refers to hardware, software and other related technology. This pertains to the functionality of the system, whether it is up or down when a person needs to use it. User interfaces refers to the link between the human user and the software/hardware technology (input screens, output screens, paper input forms and paper output reports). Error rates in the transfer of data from one medium to another and the time that users require to become familiar with the system all constitute indicators of performance of the implemented system while Information requirements as a technical system component refers to the ability of the Information system implemented to give new capabilities than the one being replaced. Careful study of the organization to know its information need is essential ( Davies G. B. et al). The social system refers to the features of organizational setting which exist in an organization even as people enter and leave the organization. The components of this system include; acceptance/rejection of the technical system, theories in use, measures of performance to expectation and the developmental process of the system. Rejection or underutilization may be based on the premise that the introduction of new technology is instrumental to deskilling or job loss (Davies G. B. et al, 1992). Characteristic features of Information system project Information system projects are capital and labour intensive usually requiring a huge sum of money to implement. Its failure can cause a huge financial loss to an organization and therefore there is need for adequate planning before its implementation to ensure that desired expectations are met. An information system is a type of socio-technical system which is critical to the survival and well-being of companies. As a result, the right technology must be deployed and the end users educated on its use and benefits. Also, Brooks in Ewusi-Mensah (1997) stated that IS projects are conceptual in nature (i.e. it is pure thought stuff which is invisible and unvisualizable). In addition, there are certain risks and uncertainties such as large project size, unfamiliarity with the new technology and unstable information requirements associated with projects that are difficult to assess prior to the start of the project. IS projects as stated earlier are group oriented requiring members from different backgrounds and therefore require a high degree of coordination and clear lines of communication to ensure success Ewusi-Mensah (1997). Reasons for Information System implementation To increase productivity in order to maintain competitive advantage To enhance business operations through the re-engineering of an organisations processes Changes in activities of an organisation or in the nature of the organisation. Technological Changes can lead to new production processes or using alternative materials in the manufacturing process Classification of system failures There are four major categories of Information system failure according to Lyytinen and Hirschheim (1987). The categories are as follows; Process failure: this occurs when an Information system project cannot be developed within an allocated budget and/or time schedule. The project development results in overspending in both cost and time. Correspondence failure: this occurs when the objectives and goals of the systems design are not met. Interaction failure: this is attributed to the level of end-user usage or adoption or acceptance of the implemented information system. User attitudes, data packets, user satisfaction and the degree of adoption are measures of usage of information system usage. Expectation failure: this is the inability of a system to meet its stakeholders requirement, expectations or values Another classification of failures according to Ben Meadowcroft in Why Systems fail is; Hard ware design/specification error Software developmental error: this is error due to imperfect software development as a result of inadequate test run of the program and poor user interface among others End user error: this arise a result of inadequate training and/or user resistance. Majors causes of information systems failure Unclear goals: lack of well defined project goals and objectives which is key to the success of any IS project development. There is also need to state clearly the information need of an organization and also the adoption process before attempting to introduce an information system(Lucas in Davies G. B. et al 1992) Improper reporting structure/Miscommunication: since the development of large IS projects is the work of a team drawn from diverse groups of people with responsibilities to ensure the projects success which includes IS staff, end users and senior management, there is need for the establishment of clear lines of communication and well defined lines of authority and responsibility among team members. Communication in project teams is essential to sort out dispute concerning requirements of design decisions among project members (Curtis et al 1988). Inept/incompetent leadership: Poor management of the project and lack of good leadership responsible for coordination and control, measurement of progress and making of vital decisions at different phases of the project. Poor technology base or infrastructure: lack of adequate technological base needed for successful implementation of the kind of systems development being considered. According to Land in G. B. Davis et al, the distance between the existing system and the replacement system is essential for the success of an information system. Poor project management: this has to do with inadequate measurement system to measure progress and equally identify potential risks in time to mitigate them. Lack of technical competence: the technological know-how of information systems staff is very vital to the success of IS projects as lack of familiarity with an information technology new to the IS staff is contributory to IS project failure. If a user is improperly trained then the likelihood of them making major errors is increased due to their lack of knowledge of the system. Failures by reason of lack of training should not be regarded as an error due to the individual operator as is likely with a poorly designed user interface, but as a mistake by the management. Scope creep: projects excessively grand in scope usually have higher risks and higher complexities and therefore more prone to failure. Scope is the initial blueprint of an implementation plan. Faulty hardware faulty hardware can bring about serious system failure. This factor is then again an essential one that should be given due consideration together with the more common software errors. Faulty hardware should be taken into thought when designing the systems in order to try and reduce the impact of the failure. Hardware failure is not as likely to occur as software faults but can be as damaging. Poor selection decision of project team members: the project team composition is also vital for the success of the information system project. Strategies organisations can take to ensure success of information system projects. Firstly, to ensure success of information system projects there is need for a clear and well defined IS goal. Every member of the IS project management team as well as stakeholders should know the specific information requirement of the organization as well as how to go about satisfying it. This is important to guide the information requirements phase of the development process. Failure in this area will lead to fragmented efforts and lack of focus in assembling facts to guide the rest of the development (Curtis et al 1988). Secondly, the selection of competent and qualified staff to serve as members of IS project team is very vital for successful project implementation (Brooks, 1981). Team members should be those with real prior experience and who are equally familiar with the technology being deployed. Improved training of the end users will significantly reduce system failures and improve the integrity of data stored on the computer systems. The project team should consist of the most successful people of the organization (Nah et al, 2001). Lockheed Martin, a leading aeronautical group, stated that one of its keys to success was assembling a team capable of making and executing changes required (Stedman, 1999) Also, the imposition of structure on the developmental effort of the project helps to guide it to successful completion. It involves the division of the project into phases which helps the project team realize what deliverables for each stage are and to know the extent to which they have been met. It is also important that clear lines of authority, communication and responsibility among team members be drawn. This is important since the team members are drawn from diverse units. Selection of competent leaders who will ensure that proper management and control practices are adhered to and enforced in the implementation process of an Information system is vital. Adequate safeguards and oversight by management is necessary to ensure technical personnels compliance with accepted industry standards for reporting and dealing with problems uncovered in any phase of system development. The leader should be one with both application-domain knowledge and software knowledge. There should also be regular periodic meetings to discuss the systems development effort. A successful implementation of a project is only attainable when high-level executives possess a strong commitment to the project (Davenport, 2000). Senior executives at Farmland Industries demonstrated its support to project team members by providing financial incentives to motivate the project team members. The technological infrastructure available in a company needs to be critically assessed to determine it is adequate to support the kind of system development that is to be implemented. Care should be taken not to embark on IS project development until management have the assurance that the companys technological base is adequate. Assurance from the Management Information System management should be taken to reduce the risk s and uncertainties associated with system development works. There is need for the maintenance of scope. The ability to maintain scope is related to planning and this is attainable for companies both small and large. Geishecker (1999) stated that Colgate-Palmolive Company itemised scope maintenance as a contributory factor to their success. The roll out approach for the implementation of the information system project is a very important consideration under scope maintenance. There are two approaches namely the big bang approach and the gradual (phased) rollout approach. Both approaches have their prons and cons. Oil giant Chevron attributes a phased roll out to the successful implementation of an information system project. Home Depot has also successfully implemented several modules of an Information system using the phased roll out approach (Mearian, 2000). Phased roll-out approach though more expensive and usually taking longer time, offer reduced business risk (Davenport, 2000). Internal readiness/training is also vital for the successful implementation of an information system project. The most common failure factor recorded was that of readiness for change. All employees must be trained on the new system in order to prevent underutilization of the system. Also managers must understand the implication of the system and the changes it will cause. If managers are not in agreement or cooperation, then there will be no eagerness or buy-in and this may result to resistance or lack of adoption of the new system (Davenport, 2000). Planning/development /budgeting are necessary for the success of an information system project. Planning should be intimately identified with maintaining scope during an implementation. Ineffective planning results in cost overruns and development delays. Home Depot, Lockerheed Martin and Mead Corporation are examples of companies attributing success to planning. As stated earlier, many projects especially failed ones are over budget, some as much as 189 percent. Adequate testing of the system is a key element for the successful implementation of the system. It is reported that Gillette Company withstood five months of severe testing procedures before their successful go-live date (CIO, 2000). Also, Eastman Kodak was able to complete what at the time was the largest implementation on record as a result of testing (PR Newswire, 2001). Whirlpool Corporation attributes inadequate testing as its single reason for unsuccessful and costly implementation. The company gambled on its testing program by cutting down the amount of time needed to test run the new system before implementing it in a bid to meet deadlines Conclusion The goal of this was to identify the major causes of information systems failures and strategies organisations can take to face the challenges and ensure the success? Towards this goal different articles and journals were examine. The project team compostion, management support , internal readiness of the employees, existence of technolgical infrastructure able to support and sustain the new system to be implemented, well defined goals which is in line with the organizations goal, adquately tested system, clear and well defined reporting structure and good leadership are all vital ingredients to ensure the successful implementation as well as utilization of a newly deployed information system. It is to be noted that even though a system technically faultless, underutilization as a result of lack of full acceptance or understanding of how to adopt the information system for day to day operation amounts to failure of the information system. For this reason, the management must enlighte n the users of the deployed information system on the need for the change as well as attached benefits. Finally, though appropraite measures should be put in place to prevent failure of the information system project, they may still occur; but when they occur, a system failure analysis which is an investigation to determine the underlying reasons for the nonconformance to the system requirement in order to identify the causes of nonconformance equally recommend appropraite correction measures. This is because failure could have benefits expecially in relation to learning,especially in understanding the developmental process of a system and steps to take to prevent failure of future Information System development projects. Word Count = 2,932 REFERNECES Mearian, L. (2000), CEO: SAP installation caused problems, ComputerWorld, Vol. 34 No. 48, p. 20. Nah, F.F., Lau, J.L. and Kuang, J. (2001), Critical factors for successful implementation of enterprise systems, Business Process Management Journal, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp. 285-96. Ben Meadowcrof, Why Systems Fail. http://www.benmeadowcroft.com/reports/systemfailure/ Beynon-Davies P. (2009). The language of informatics: the nature of information systems. International Journal of Information Management. 29(2). 92-103 CIO (2000), Does ERP build a better business?, 15 February, pp. 114-24. Davenport, T. (2000), Mission Critical Realizing the Promise of Enterprise Systems, Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA. Geishecker, L. (1999), ERP vs best of breed, Strategic Management, March, pp. 63-6. Land, F. and Hirschheim, R. Participative Systems Design: Rationale, Tools and Techniques, Journal of Applied Systems Analysis, Vol. 10, 1983. Lyytinen, K. and Hirschheim, R. Information Systems Failures A Survey and Classification of the Empirical Literature, Oxford Surveys in IT, Vol. 4, 1987, pp. 257-309. May, L. (1998), Major causes of software project failure, Crosstalk, July. The Standish Group. The CHAOS Report (1995), 1995. http://www.standishgroup.com/chaos.html.

FireArt, Inc. Essay -- Managing Management Business Essays

FireArt, Inc. Diagnosis of team ineffectiveness and corrective action plans   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   FireArt, Inc. has encountered a dilemma where their competitors are now able to profitably make short runs in the production of glass. Because of this competition, Jack Derry, the CEO of FireArt, Inc. has asked Eric Holt to put "together a team†¦one person from each division, and have a comprehensive plan for the company’s strategic realignment up, running, and winning within six months." Eric, being the newly appointed Director of Strategy, knew his overall goal and creates a formal group in order to fulfill the overall organizational mission of turning the company around. However even though a formal group is created, there is a lack of specific goals and tasks. Eric who only had experience managing working group with professional from similar backgrounds actually created a working group than a team. Moreover, the members did not interact with one another prior to coming together, and did not perceive themselves to be in a group. While the team cons ists of various division heads of the organization, Randy Louderback the director of sales and marketing does not believe that groups are worthwhile. Eric formed this temporary group, which would ceases to exist once the job is carried out. This group, although temporary, never really gets off the ground due to lack of leadership-management skills, lack of clear attainable goals, team structure and incompatibilities of the group members. Team Dynamics and Structure:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One issue that is faced by the group is the lack of team dynamics as well as the pressure being felt to devise and implement a comprehensive plan in six months. Some managers create groups to aide in team dynamics as groups serve functions such as organizational, psychological, and personal. The group that Eric set up was created to generate ideas in order to beat the competition. However, due to the conflict from the team members, idea creation was never brought about. Additionally, the psychological functions that give an outlet for affiliation needs and the personal functions of increased self-esteem, increased security, and a sense of identity are never achieved. With the creation of his group, Eric was faced with a peer, in particular, that strongly believes â€Å"that groups are useless†. There are variables that affect the integration in groups of org... ...uctive thinking will help members think better to solve problems and contribute innovative ideas. The lack of ideas is demonstrated on how the first couple of times the members met they had difficulty coming up with innovative/creative ideas on how to solve the company’s troubles. Also, when Ray, Maureen, and Carl presented their ideas they did not challenge Randy’s comment, â€Å"Let’s do everything, why don’t we, including redesign the kitchen sink!† If they had, the team could have had an open discussion on the merits of each and possibly evolved into a more cohesive problem solving group. Lastly, FireArt Inc. is family owned business and probably Jack Derry ultimately authorizes a lot of decisions. However, for the team to be fully effective it will be important for the team to be granted decision-making authority. This will prevent the team from forming easily acceptable and non-controversial solutions to the problem. Once the team is functioning properly any ideas on how save the company must be accepted. It is also important for the team to be aware that they are anchored in organizational realities that are outside of their control and affect the success of their efforts.