Research Paper on:
Information Technology Uses by Managers

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
their job functions. Bibliography lists 7 sources. PGmgit2.rtf HOW MANAGERS USE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY , November, 2001 for more information on using this  paper properly! Managers have a large number of roles they play during the course of any work day. Such roles range from information gatherer to decision maker. Without proper  and accurate information, managers would not be able to perform any of their job functions effectively. Todays technology can be a great help to managers in collecting, organizing and retrieving  information. Lamude and Scudder suggested that a managers multiple roles can be classified into four value dimensions that reflect flexibility versus predictability and an internal versus an external focus. These  reflect conceptualizations of major perspectives of organizational and management effectiveness: * Human relations perspective includes the managers participation, openness, morale and commitment which emphasizes an internal focus and flexibility. *  Open system perspective includes innovation, growth, adaptation and resource acquisition and stresses an external focus and flexibility. * Rational goal perspective includes goal clarity, direction, productivity, and accomplishment and emphasizes  an external focus and predictability. * Internal process perspective which includes documentation, information management and control and emphasizes an internal focus and predictability (Lamude and Scudder, 1995). There is a  fifth concept which is directly related to the previous four: the Competing Values concept which suggests that the manager must simultaneously master these four which are obviously in conflict with  each other. The effective manager is able to perform well in all typologies regardless of the seeming conflict in values underlying them. In fact, research has shown that those managers  who focus on all four of these roles achieved higher levels of performance in their work places (Lamude and Scudder, 1995). It is important to observe that in all