Assessing the Forest Service's Implementation of an Agency-wide Information System

An Exploratory Study

Cathy Stasz, Tora K. Bikson, Norman Shapiro

ResearchPublished 1986

This Note describes the implementation of a new agency-wide information system in the United States Forest Service (USFS) and explores the impact of the system on individuals and the organization by analyzing the contributions of three major factors — characteristics of the organization, characteristics of the technology, and characteristics of the implementation process. The study identifies the following effects of the new USFS information system: (1) clerical and computer staffs have been reduced, and information tasks redistributed across jobs; (2) the system has changed the performance of information tasks; (3) electronic mail has improved communication within and across organizational units; and (4) the top-down implementation process has produced varying local systems.

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web-Only
  • Year: 1986
  • Pages: 75
  • Document Number: N-2463-USFS

Citation

RAND Style Manual
Stasz, Cathy, Tora K. Bikson, and Norman Shapiro, Assessing the Forest Service's Implementation of an Agency-wide Information System: An Exploratory Study, RAND Corporation, N-2463-USFS, 1986. As of September 13, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/notes/N2463.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Stasz, Cathy, Tora K. Bikson, and Norman Shapiro, Assessing the Forest Service's Implementation of an Agency-wide Information System: An Exploratory Study. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1986. https://www.rand.org/pubs/notes/N2463.html.
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