The Lessons Learned

Abstract

Any survey, no matter how successful, will always provide a number of lessons for the researcher and for those subjected to the research. The survey described in this book is no exception to this rule. The lessons I learned, both during the dialogue with management and afterwards in the analysis process, fell into four categories:

• 1 Improved management awareness of the limitations of formal information systems

• 2 The improved understanding on behalf of the researcher of management’s needs

• 3 Some breaking down of the communications barrier between systems personnel and management

• 4 A greater understanding of the role of information vis-à-vis decision making