Exploring Reputation Differences in Information Systems Groups

Abstract

This article examines the dzfference in reputation of two Information Systems (IS) groups within the same company. The company is a mid-sized insurance company in a large Midwestern city in the United States, and the two IS groups are fiom different divisions within the company. The two cases identifL the IS governance structure and IS coordination techniques used by the divisions. We then discuss how the structure chosen and the coordination techniques used impacted the relationship between the end-users and the IS groups. We also examine the relationship between the working relationship of the two groups and the reputation of the IS group. Because IS governance structure and coordination techniques did not appear to fully explain the large discrepancies in end-users ' perceptions of the two IS groups, the cases also discuss organizational behavior theories. The effect of such elements as size, external environment, and leadership in the division is discussed in relation to the dzfering reputations of the IS groups.