The evolution of the micro computer into machines whose capacities exceed those of some mainframe computers of the past is leading to rapid change in the information systems (IS) function in many large organizations (LaPlante, 1993, pp. 23 38). The most significant of the various changes occurring is the replacement in many organizations of mainframe computers by networks of micro computers (Plyer and Kim, 1993, pp. 39 44). This process is commonly referred to as "IS downsizing" (Bird, 1992, pp. 93 98). IS downsizing is different from the process of organizational downsizing that is also sweeping through many large firms in the 1990s. The IS downsizing process encompasses change in both the way in which technology is used within an organization and the organization's structure. As is true with most new movements that lead to major shifts in the organizational use of technology and in organizational structure, downsizing has both its proponents and its doubters (LaPlante, 1993, pp. 22 23). The proposed research study will examine the feasibility of IS downsizing within the context of organizational characteristics.
The information environment in which organizations must function is changing. In turn, these changes demand changes in organizational structure and relationships. Peter Drucker (1988, p. 45) said the information age is leading to the creation of knowledge based organizations, wherein (1) the size of management
teams will be reduced, and (2) managerial relationships will be dramatically altered. Peter Senge of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology refers to these new manifestations as learning organizations (Byrne, 1992, p. 47).
Drucker (1988, p. 45) said that the "typical large business 20 years hence will have fewer than half the levels of management of its counterpart today, and no more than a third of the managers." In the information age, it has been discovered that "whole layers of management nei...