Information flows amongst executives: their implications for systems development

Senior managers have tended to resist the incursion into their personal domain of computer systems meant for their use. Their main criticism is that technical solutions are being imposed on them without an adequate analysis of the problems at hand. This suggests that the way in which executives obtain and exchange information may not be adequately understood. With the help of a framework designed to identify top executives' networks of information flows, the study reported in this paper analysed the information practices of 16 executives from four organizations. The findings of the research indicated that executives use a combination of communication flows and information flows in a proportion which varies depending upon the context of their different activities. It also revealed that executives initiated information and communication flows of a different nature depending upon the role they play and the level of those with whom they deal within the organization. The results of the study suggest that very specific approaches are needed when identifying executives' needs in terms of developing systems aimed at supporting top managers' strategic activities.