Overview

Our JIT (Just-in-Time) manufacturing systems are working fine in Germany, Why don't they work in Brazil? The technology is the same - so what's the difference? CEO of a German-Brazilian car maker. The biggest problems faced by those responsible for designing, managing and integrating computer systems are often not technical - they are 'socio-technical.' The greatest costs (and the greatest benefits) lie in harnessing the dynamic forces associated with organizational and human as well as technical aspects of IT systems. Systems managers are largely technically trained, but are coming to realise that the commercial performance of the systems they manage and roll out across different countries, require support in the form of training and practical help in order to effectively achieve this. Invisible Architecture identifies strategies for designing software around the cognitive, social, cultural, political, economic, organizational and business processes affecting companies and their IT systems. This book provides an introduction to the design and management of 'socio-technical systems' using examples of portals, supply chains, ebusiness and elearning systems across different industry contexts. Invisible Architecture raises awareness and understanding of business systems as 'socio-technical systems.' It demonstrates why and how 'socio-technical' dimensions impact on competitiveness, and provides a general frame of reference, and practical examples as a basis for understanding, developing or managing these complex systems. Invisible Architecture is a primer aimed at the gap in resources for training identified in computing, engineering and management courses. Taking examples from across industry sectors Invisible Architecture highlights the potential for harnessing 'soft' processes to competitive advantage in distributed networked systems, and the pitfalls of ignoring them. It offers a range of strategies for mapping, sharing and managing these to an organization's competitive advantage. With approximately 100 pages, Invisible Architecture is a practical 'starter' to the subject. What makes this book different? It is aimed at the big cross disciplinary gap in the market for the many professionals involved in the design and management of ebusiness and elearning systems. It shows managers that many of their problems are common to other industries, identifying both successful strategies and serious failures in tackling them. It features a range of practical case studies to raise awareness of recurring issues and scenarios. The research underpinning Invisible Architecture was the direct result of concerns from managers and CEOs across oil and gas, automotive manufacturing and financial services industries who felt that the problems (and the costs) associated with networked systems were increasingly people-related, rather than technology related. This book looks at the strategies that seem to work. It demonstrates how some system designers and managers have been able to cut cost, risk and time and increase performance and competitiveness by creating systems which align the technical and the human architecture, whether at a cognitive, social, cultural or a political level.

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9781902505596

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Jenny Ure has worked in higher education in the UK, Australia and Latin America, developing and evaluating collaborative networked systems. Gudrun Jaegersberg has been a visiting professor at universities in Europe and Latin America. She is an expert in cross cultural issues in globalisation and knowledge management.

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