Case Study 1 Midsouth Chamber of Commerce (A)
Teaching Note on Case Study 1
Midsouth Chamber of Commerce (A):
The Role of the Operating Manager in Information
Systems
Objectives
Midsouth Chamber of Commerce (A) is based on an actual situation with only cosmetic changes
made to protect the identities of the organization and the individuals involved. This case
describes the complex and often chaotic process of implementing information technology change
in an organization with conflicting objectives.
The primary objective of this first case in the book is to examine the role of the business manager
in the management of information technology in organizations (in this case, the implementation
of a new software system).
Secondary objectives of this case include:
2. Demonstrating some of the pitfalls that a business manager may encounter as technology is
introduced.
4. Revealing the importance of information systems (IS) politics.
Overview
The Midsouth Chamber of Commerce (MSCC) was a growing, aggressive, statewide chamber of
commerce that had historically benefited from its strong leadership. One example of its
leadership was Leon Lassiter, the Vice President of Marketing at the MSCC. Early in his tenure,
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Questions for Discussion
1. Identify the key players in the case and describe their respective roles. Are these the
right roles? What roles in particular should be modified? How might such role
modifications be accomplished?
Key Players and Roles
Leon Lassiter Vice President of Marketing of the MSCC. Lassiter was a high-ranking
business manager, with no information technology background, who recognized the need for
a new software system at the MSCC and acted as its champion during the acquisition (and
eventually the implementation) process. In his short tenure, Lassiter had proven to be a very
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Role Modification
Clearly several of the roles discussed above should have been modified. Neither Hedges nor
Kovecki the two most important IS players at the MSCC were meeting their job
responsibilities, and Lassiter proved inept at gaining their cooperation or improving their effort
level. At the same time, Wallingford and the Executive Committee should not have remained
2. Focus on the role of the software vendor Unitrak Software Corporation. Was it an
appropriate role? Did Unitrak act responsibly?
This question was partially answered in question 1 above. Unitrak certainly did not act
responsibly during this entire scenario. Whether Unitrak was legally at fault depends upon the
development is that much more inexcusable.
3. How much is Kovecki to blame for this situation?
While most students tend to put much of the blame on Lassiter, Kovecki is also a key component
to this problem. Clearly company politics played some role, but Kovecki failed to perform some
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4. One of the recurring themes of this book is the importance of information systems
politics. To what extent does IS politics explain the situation that has developed at the
Midsouth Chamber of Commerce?
IS politics helps explain much of the MS
5. The case involves what appears to be a fairly routine use of information technology to
support a service organization. Yet the Midsouth Chamber of Commerce encountered
major problems in bringing up its new system. Is there a lesson here for organizations
seeking to adopt new information technology? What is it?
What appears to be a routine application of information technology to an organization with an
experienced, knowledgeable IS staff may be anything but routine to an organization lacking IS
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6. What should Lassiter do now?
Lassiter must immediately focus on making the conversion process work. With both the new and