Journal of Management Information Systems

Volume 6 Number 1 1989 pp. 111-126

Relationship of the Rank of Information Systems Executive to the Organizational Role and Planning Dimensions of Information Systems

Raghunathan, Bhanu and Raghunathan, T S

ABSTRACT: The organizational rank of the senior Information Systems (IS) officer has been suggested to influence the effectiveness of the organizational IS effort. As IS continues to gain increasing recognition as a key organizational system, a study of the various factors that contribute to its effectiveness should be particularly useful. This research explores the relationship between the reporting level of the senior IS executive and two specific aspects of IS, namely, IS organizational role and IS planning. The analysis is based on the responses of IS executives to a survey instrument. Results support the existence of significant linkages between the rank of the IS executive and the IS aspects addressed in the study. This suggests that the reporting level of the IS executive may be a key variable that management should focus on in efforts to increase the effectiveness of their information systems.

Key words and phrases: rank of IS executive, IS organizational role, IS planning