Journal of Management Information Systems

Volume 7 Number 4 1991 pp. 7-26

Globalization and Information Management Strategies

Karimi, Jahangir and Konsynski, Benn R

ABSTRACT: Recent globalization initiatives have encouraged firms to consider new organizational strategies and to change their coordination and control systems, management processes, and organization structures, leveraging new technologies. To compete effectively, at home or globally, firms often coordinate their activities in the world markets. Coordination has become a key to competitive advantage. Market and product innovation often involves coordination and partnership across a diverse set of organizational and geographically dispersed entities. What is often lacking for many global finns is a clear strategy for alignment in the evolution of information technology (IT) architecture and the evolving global business strategy. An understanding of administrative options that are available to the general manager in a global environment is important in the derivation of a strategy for the information technology infrastructure. This paper discusses issues that confront the senior executive regarding the evolution of control and organizational structures and the associated information technology management strategy.

Key words and phrases: globalization, organizational strategies and structures, control and coordination, global information systems management, information systems architecture