Strategies for Restructuring IT Organizations

Abstract

DePaul University created a new division of University Planning and Information Technology division by integrating functions of strategic planning, process reengineering, application development, networking and telecommunication, systems and operations, and academic technology development into one unified organization. This strategic realignment was an integral step in the university's own transformation toward a competitive and responsive institution. This restructuring resulted in complete redesign of functional groups, new job responsibilities and skills expectation for individual staff members, and significant staff reduction. Four units of different reporting lines and vastly different culture and organizational structure were consolidated into one division. This case study presents DePaul University's experience and strategies used to affect organizational change and redirection of information technology professionals as well as the user community since July 1993. Both successful strategies and lessons learned will be shared with the audience, particularly concerning massive cultural and organizational change for both the IT professionals and the user community. Paper presented at CAUSE94, the full proceedings of which are available through this Library as PUB1094. A revision of this paper was published in_CAUSE/EFFECT_ magazine, and is available as CEM9534.