Impacts of Mis on an Organization: Connecting the Dots

Cyrus DeVere

Walden University

Dr. Gayle Grant

04/23/2011

Impacts of MIS on an Organization: Connecting the Dots

Cafe Rio Mexican Grill - Upgrade Technology?

The organization of focus for this study is Café Rio Mexican Grill. The following study will review a particular key organizational initiative and evaluate the initiative for impacts on decision-making and strategic direction. The initiative involves a new software solution that is currently being implemented companywide and will have direct impact on the organizational structure. The initiative is solving for serious security and government compliance liabilities. Café Rio exposes itself to identify theft, loss of data, inaccurate data records, and missing essential records. These are all security threats. In addition, paper based processes create many liabilities, security of data issues, accuracy of data issues, and timeliness of data concerns are all areas of potential weakness and opportunity (Farahmand, Shamkant, Sharp, & Enslow, 2005). Mukherji (2002) states a company may experience implicit versus explicit evolution regarding technology adoption. Implicit evolution has different implications on an organization than a thoughtful planned explicit approach both having positives and negatives. Café Rio has entered into to the current state implicitly as security and compliance issues have forced the need. Now the company is racing to plan appropriately for new technology implementation across the system (K. Peterson, personal communication, April 7, 2011). The implementation is influencing the organizational structure and modifications handled today. Risks existed before the new technology implementation and risks exist today during implementation and new practice.

Management Information System Impact

This report will review these topical items including risk management approach and how the organization is currently responding. There are clear advantages and some early-identified disadvantages. The study will also include an assessment of the culture of the employees and review the adoption rate of this new technology. The software is a progressive solution for on-boarding new hires and collecting employee data for the central repository in the home office. If implementation goes properly and adopted quickly this solution will no doubt create a competitive advantage.

Three-Year Outlook

Café Rio Mexican Grill is entering a three-year strategic plan where the organization will build close to 60 new restaurants in 12 states. This plan includes hiring over 3000 new employees and compliance with state and federal regulations regarding hiring practices including immigration will be a priority and a critical success factor. The organization is entering a high growth period where information is spreading across the country and accuracy and timeliness are critical. Management information systems have never been more important than the present (D. Gagnon, personal communication, April 13, 2011).

Manager's Perspective

The key individuals for this study will be Kim Peterson, the manager of payroll and benefits, Tyler Tinling, senior human resource manager, and David Gagnon, Chief Operations Officer. They will report on the advantages and disadvantages of implementing a new technology for employee on boarding. They will share the challenges, risk of the current process and the future of the new technology, and provide an inside look at the overall transformation of the technology adoption.

The Security Problem

Farahmand et al (2005) describes an environment where data gathering is careless great liability exists. Café Rio describes a history of paper-based processes including faxing, filing, courier, and mailing. Some might not describe faxing as a technology solution but at one time the company felt as though installing fax machines, printers, and scanners in every restaurant was advanced-technology. In fact, some executives would boast how advanced the company was considering the ability to fax information at anytime any day of the week. What many managers and executives overlooked was the fact every time a fax machine was out of paper or not turned on correctly that data was stored in that machine and was not secure from anyone relatively speaking in the restaurant or corporate office. Hence, confidential data like financial information, personnel information, and sensitive company information was accessible to who ever had access to the fax or printer machines (K. Peterson, personal communication, April 7, 2011). The liability of having social security numbers among other personnel data lying around a printer for anyone to see or pick up keeps management up at night. Constant awareness and a sense of urgency was needed with the fax and file process was in place. Management has much more confidence in the new software and the capability to secure data. In regards to speed and accuracy the new software and technology is proving to be priceless (T. Tinling, personal communication, April 14, 2011).

Personnel Structure and Cultural Change

Lucas and Baroudi (1994) report that organizational structure and labor deployment at times is determined by the technology solutions in place. They go on to state there can be advantages and struggles depending on the organizations readiness to execute the technology solution. Cultural norms, expectations, and daily practices have all been influence by the new procedures as Café Rio with new on boarding practices. At one time, the district manager led all the on boarding in person for his district. This on boarding demanded small groups of paper orientation and group instruction. Personal attention ensured proper handling of all documents was completed and to ensure proper privacy and security of the documents. Today, each restaurant manager can process all the same paper in each restaurant at the computer with a new hire. This practice does not require the district manager to hold paper orientation meetings rather the restaurant manager can process the entire necessary paperwork one on one and in about 20 minutes (T. Tinling, personal communication, April 20, 2011). Kim Peterson states that the shift between of who leads the paper orientation was not a smooth transition whatsoever. The restaurant manger's computer skills and capability was well below that of an area coach or district manager. She went on to describe the complaining of how long it took to on board a new hire electronically.

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