The Politics of Information Management
Policy Guidelines

by Paul A. Strassmann

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The title of this book contains the word "politics" because this term describes, perhaps more aptly than any other, what information management is mostly about. Information management is the process by which those who set policy guide those who follow policy. Politics concerns power, and applying an understanding of power to the management of information technologies is not only appropriate, but timely. The proliferation of computers has now reached a stage of development where they are shaping relationships between suppliers and customers in business, as well as how public institutions relate to private organizations and individuals.

Written by a former chief information executive (1956-1978) and vice president of strategic planning (1978-1985) for three large multinational corporations. Strassmann also served as chief information executive of the U.S. Department of Defense and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense.

The book covers the following topics:

Book Reviews
"Don't look for gossipy tidbits. The hefty volume, leavened with cartoons, footnotes and a satirical glossary, is a serious study of the evolution of politics and information management. An intriguing look at how information technology has influenced corporate politics."
-- Information Week

"Into this maelstrom of intense pressure steps longtime CIO, Paul Strassmann, with a refreshingly candid new book. The 560-page volume is as honest as its title. Strassmann is the kind of iconoclast whose plain talk nevertheless makes you feel that while he may be saying something you don't want to hear, it's for your own good."
-- Computerworld

"Paul Strassmann's new book is nothing less than an attempt to create a "unified theory" of information management."
-- Enterprise Reengineering

The Politics of Information Management
Illustrated by John Klossner
Library of Congress Catalog 93-80110
ISBN 0-9620413-4-3
1994. hardcover, 554 pages, 86 illustrations.
Other books by Paul A. Strassmann:
Information Productivity
The Squandered Computer
The Business Value of Computers
Information Payoff
An Irreverent Dictionary of Information Politics

The Politics of Information Management
Table of Contents

Table of Contents v
List of Illustrations xiv
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction xxiii
Why "Politics"? xxiii
Scope xxiv
Content xxv
A Discipline of Information Politics xxvii
Precursors xxix
The Value of Information Politics xxx

Part I Governance 1
1. What Is Policy? 3
Using Policy 3
Avoiding Policy-Making 5
Politics vs. Policy 6
Policy and Success 7
2. Framework 9
Information Politics, an Element of Information Management 10
Business Plan Alignment 11
Implementation Matters 12
3. Definitions 15
Information Management 15
Executive Ownership 18
Delegation 18
Information Systems 19
Information Technology 20
Stealth Technology 21
Technology Management Roles 21
4. Roles 23
Information Effectiveness 23
Unstable Leadership 25
Political Realities 26
The Onlookers 27
A Long View 28
5. Making Policy 31
Priorities 31
Policy Innovation 32
Conflict Resolution 33
Economics and Politics 33
Local Politics 34
The Totalitarian Taint 35
Balance of Power 36
The Politics of Choices 37
The Politics of Control 38
Transition Politics 39
Distribution of Power 41
6. Federation 43
U.S. Constitutional Model 45
Information Constitutional Model 45
Layers of an Information Constitution 47
7. Architecture 51
Favoring External Information Sources 52
Design for Complexity 53
Configuration Management 54
Lessons from History 56
Software as Federated Governance 57
Networking Choices 57
Hub Networking 61
Web Networking 63
8. Organization 67
Decentralization vs. Centralization 67
Choices in Dividing Authority and Budgets 69
Merits of Alternatives 70
Distributing Tasks 71
9. Scope of a Constitution 73
Why a Constitution? 73
Limits 75
Inclusion Principles 75
Exclusions 76
Drafting a Constitution 77
Local Initiatives 79
10. Institutions 81
Separation of Powers 82
Executive Level Staff 82
Conflict Resolution 84
Involvement of Auditors 86
What Can Go Wrong 86
A Long Journey 88
11. Model Constitution 89
Statement of Goals 89
Statement of Principles 92
Responsibilities at the Enterprise and Business Levels 96
The Information Management Policy Board 97
Responsibilities of Information Systems Managers 99
Responsibilities of Operating Managers 100
Planning and Finance 101
Contracting Out 102
Care for Customers of Internal Information Services 103
Data Management 105
Information Configuration Policies 106
Decentralization Policies 107
Personnel Development Policies 108
Systems Design Policies 109
Design Principles 110
Technology Advancement 112
Reuse 113
Telecommunications 113
Risk Management 115
Technology Acquisition 115
Security 116
12. Concept of Operations 119
Mission Concepts 120
Enterprise Level Concepts 122
Enterprise Level Checklist 122
Process Level Concepts 124
Process Level Checklist 125
Business Level Concepts 127
Business Level Checklist 127
Application Level Concepts 129
Application Level Checklist 129
Local Level Concepts 130
Local Level Checklist 133
13. Standards 135
The Politics of Standards 135
Standards Compliance 139
Making Standards 139
Managing Standards 141
Standards Topics 143
Standards Documents 145
Standards as Governance 147
14. Governance Cases 149
Debates About Consolidation 149
The Case of Customer Account Numbers 150
Data Malfeasance Cases 151
The Case of Joint Cooperation 153
Lessons Learned 154

Part II Observations 157
15. Analogies 159
The Leninist Option 161
The Cold War and Computers 163
New Challenges 164
What Has Changed 166
Technology Agendas 167
Management Agendas 168
Reconciling the Agendas 170
16. History 171
Underlying Concepts 172
The Elitist View 172
The Populist Reaction 175
The Mainframe Theocracy 177
The Minicomputer Hierarchy 177
The Microcomputer Revolution 177
The Age of Cooperative Alliances 178
The Age of Information Democracy 178
The Pharaoh and His Scribes 179
From Theocracy to Hierarchy 182
The Rise of the Barons 182
The Working of the Invisible Hand 183
The Expense of Baronial Possessions 185
The Monopoly Crumbles 186
Me, Myself and I 188
The Reformers 190
The Counter Reformation 191
Working at Home 192
17. Privacy 197
Personal Privacy 197
Property Rights 199
Organizational Privacy 201
Information Intrusion 204
Corporate Implications 206
Encryption 207
The Faustian Bargain 208
18. Security 211
Global Barriers 214
Enterprise Barriers 215
Process Barriers 217
Business Barriers 217
Application Barriers 217
Local Barriers 218
19. Reengineering 221
Origins of Reengineering 221
Overhead Cost Reduction 223
Total Quality Movement 224
Industrial Engineering 225
Application of Reengineering 225
Dictatorial Characteristics 226
Deductive vs. Inductive Reasoning 227
The Deduction of Best Practices 228
Disregarding Experience 230
Haste and Reengineering 231
Public Sector Reengineering 232
The Extremist Strain 233
The Extremist Point of View 234
Morality in Warfare and Commerce 236
Revolutionary Changes 237
20. Process Improvement 241
Improvement Through Cooperation 243
Node Trees 243
Process Flow Simulation 244
Organizing Business Process Improvement 248
Emerging Trends 249
21. Software 253
Software Process Improvement 253
Software Independence 254
Software as Inheritance 255
Legacy Software 256
Legacy Systems 257
Migrating Legacy Systems 258
The Flight From Mainframes 259
22. Reuse 263
Software Portability 263
Technology Recycling 265
Software and Business Reorganization 266
Disruption as Rationale for Change 267
Reuse as a Political Agenda 269
23. Learning 271
Cost of Errors 271
Dissipation of Knowledge 272
Collective Knowledge 273
Organizational Learning 274
Profitability of Employee Development 274
Organizational Memory 275
Learning as a Continuum 278
Education for Information Systems 278
Learning Assistance 280
Distance Tutoring 281
The Costs of Ignorance 282
Education as a Business 283
A Knowledge Based Theory of Labor 283
24. Tools 287
Technology Obsolescence 288
Protecting Long Term Assets 289
Prolonging Software Life 289
Responsibility and Accountability for Software Assets 290
The Development Environment 291
Problems with Software Maintenance 293
Articulating Systems Requirements 294
Manufactured Software 295
Openness 296
Dimensions of Open Systems 296
Significance of Open Systems 297

Part III Leadership 299
25. Objectives 301
Goals vs. Objectives 301
Objectives and Customer Satisfaction 303
Cost Reduction Objectives 304
Setting Objectives 307
Example of Poorly Targeted Objectives 309
Basic Beliefs 310
Too Many Objectives 311
Focus 312
Examples of Information Systems Objectives 313
26. Roles 315
Identifying Excellence 316
Outsourcing as a Loss of Identity 318
Identity 321
Signs of Failure 322
Patterns of Failure and Success 324
The Roots of Failure 325
The CIO's Image 327
The CIO Disorientation 329
Pragmatic vs. Mandarin CIO 331
CIOs in Charge of Reengineering 331
Loss of Power 333
27. Charter for the CIO 335
A Functional Summary 335
Duties and Authorities 337
Principles for Guiding CIO Actions 338
Ownership of Infrastructure Assets 341
Is the CIO Like a CFO? 343
Managing 344
Claims 345
Political Astuteness 346
Technology Adventurism 347
Building Support 348
Governance Before Action 350
28. Innovation 351
Home Grown Innovation 351
Let the Professionals Manage 352
Control Only What Matters 352
Take Unoccupied Territories First 353
Alliances and BeneWts 354
Innovation Is Experimentation 355
Entrepreneurship 356
Entrepreneurs 356
Funding Innovation 357
Diversifying Innovation 357
Suppression and Stimulation 359
29. Survival 361
All Short-Term Decisions Become Long-Term 362
Establish Credibility 364
Solve Critical Problems 366
CIO Prospects 368

Part IV Recollections 371
30. Industry 373
General Foods 373
Kraft 376
Xerox 378
The Xerox Information Services Division 381
31. The Road to CIM 383
The Origin of CIM 385
Early CIM Efforts 391
The Executive Level Group 396
CIM Principles 398
Role of Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence 401
Creating the Corporate Information Function 403
Innovation Calls for Unconventional Thinking 404
32. Implementing CIM 407
Information Policy Board 411
From "Grand Design" to Migration Systems 412
Gold Nuggets 416
Creating Policies 417
Technology Improvement Programs 421
Implementing Business Process Improvement 423
An Information Management Doctrine for Defense 429
CIM Rules 430
33. The Politics of CIM 437
The Flawed Acquisition Process 438
Cutting Down the Scope of Acquisition Programs 441
Resisting a Common Infrastructure 444
Command and Control Functional Analysis 446
Data Processing Installations 450
Central Design Organizations 451
Workstations and Terminals 452
Long Distance Networks 453
Condition of the Defense Information Infrastructure 454
Creating a DoD Information Infrastructure 455
The Defense Information Infrastructure Proposal 458
Security Risks 460
The Politics of Infrastructure Building 461
CIM Lessons 463
A Postscript 465

Part V Perspectives 467
34. Prospects 469
Externalizing Information Politics 469
Information Services Utilities 471
Effect on Careers 472
Business Procedures as a Political Act 473
Politicophobia 474
Politics Before Technology 476
Technocratic Utopianism 477
Anarchy 478
Monarchy 478
Feudalism 479
Federalism 480
35. Diversity 483
Information-Based Societies 484
Industrial-Based Societies 484
Materials-Based Societies 485
Diversity in Governance 485
Future of Information Politics 486
The Universality of the Telephone 487
Governance and Standards 489
The Universality of Computer-Based Communication 492
An Historical Perspective 494
A Technology Perspective 495
Information Technology as a Global Political Force 496
A Global Perspective 497
Political Integration 498
Concluding Remarks 501
Glossary 503
Index 511

(c) Copyright 1997, Strassmann, Inc.

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