The IS-function: the most intelligent IT-tool

Abstract

The information systems function (ISF) of an organization consists of all activities aiming at maintaining or extending the information (processing) capacity of that organization with the help of IT, and the means necessary to execute them. Attempts to improve the efficiency or the effectiveness ofthe ISF must address ali-its structural characteristics (Waterman, Peters & Phillips, 1992). Each of these characteristics is an IT-tool and their optimal mix provides an organization with its most intelligent IT -tool. One of the often neglected characteristics is the organization of the ISF. A knowledge acquisition process was carried out to derive directives for the design of the ISF (Mantelaers, 1995).