Gis, Organisations and People: A Socio-Technical Approach (GIS for Beginners)

Rating:
Summary: Good blend of human and tech aspects
Review: This book attempts to provide an overview of the technical and human aspects of implementing a GIS system into your organization. The subject matter is of premier importance in my opinion, because it seems so many organizations do just solely focus on the technical parts of implementing a computer system, and in the process don't really get the whole organizational picture, and thus waste a great deal of time and money. A main theme through this text is new systems have generally been force fed to organizations because the technology was available, instead of actually sitting down and assessing if there is a need for it. This book is very well thought out in it's organization, giving background information on classic business IT methodologies, processes, and models. The authors take time to set these up to show you how "its always been done" in implementing systems into organizations. They then proceed to tear down these models, by showing alternatives to, and variations on, how things can can still be accomplished, but by using different methods (i.e. by considering the points of view of the people who are affected by these systems). This approach involves more communication, group and people management skills, which are usually more difficult tasks that strictly tech skills, but the benefits of this style has the potential for a more far reaching effect, and even organization changing results.

Overall, I thought the book was informative and it made me aware of many organizational business type issues, processes, and barriers. I also thought it was a bit too technical heavy for my liking, and that is ultimately why I gave it a 3/5 rating. I guess I thought it was going to be more of a "How to" workbook style. You will however, finish this book and be able to hold your ground in conversations about implementing a GIS or new computer system in your organization.