Managers, Computer Systems, and Productivity*

The work reported in this article concerns the development and application of a radically new system architecture. This has been found, through controlled experimentation, to have substantial impact on managerial effectiveness and on the productivity of the firm’s supporting white collar labor force. The article describes the motivation which first gave rise to these efforts and the solution developed to address the motivating problem. It describes a general model of the “cost of information’’ concept and its implications on one specific company. Finally, it reports an experiment performed to test the basic hypothesis, the results achieved, and the lessons learned from the total experience. The implications of these findings appear to be far-reaching. They affect dramatically the concept of “system efficiency” currently in vogue in most places, the design process of computer based systems in general, and the emphasis on applications software, especially with regard to the use of non-procedural languages. In the final analysis, it affects the outlook and activities of the information professional of the future.