Historical Reflections on the Practice of Information Management and Implications for the Field of MIS

Abstract

This article gives an overview of the contemporary management information systems (MIS) landscape, the leading social theories applied in studies of MIS, the major concerns of contemporary information management practice, and the larger social issues in which information technology (IT) is implicated at present. It briefly characterizes three co-evolving trends in the practice of information management: the professionalization of management and information management, the externalization of IT work, and the transformation of in-house IT services. Professionalism facilitates the movement of IT workers among IT-using organizations. It also promotes externalization, which means the movement of IT professionals out of IT-using organizations and into organizations that specialize in the provision of IT services. These trends are likely to continue unfolding for some years to come, leading to new opportunities and challenges for the field of MIS.