Idea to retire: A narrow focus on information technology

[Commentary] Information technology (IT) is the common name of many organizational units that build and manage the information systems that drive today’s business. It is a name, unfortunately, that does not convey the purpose of the unit and should be replaced by Information systems (IS) or decision systems. Names matter.

The purpose of the Decision Systems (DS) unit would be to “create and manage an integrated and cooperating set of people, processes, software, and information technologies to enhance the quality of organizational decision making.” DS should support decision making at all levels and for all stakeholders. It can, among many things, embed robust routine decisions in software, provide data to customers to help decide on a service that meets their needs, and enable citizens to participate in regulation creation decisions. It’s time to kill IT and align the unit name and goals for an unequivocal clarification of purpose. Decisions make the organization, so why don’t we have a DS unit?

[Dr. Richard T. Watson is a Regents Professor and the J. Rex Fuqua Distinguished Chair for Internet Strategy in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia]