Synergy Effect in Management Information System

Information technology enhances synergistic relationships among employees.

One of the primary sources of innovation within companies is open and effective collaboration among employees, corporate departments and corporate partners. New synergistic relationships develop, which lead to new innovations. Information technology systems, such as a Management Information System (MIS), help facilitate open and effective collaboration.

Definitions

Management information systems (MIS) are systems that collect raw data from a variety of information systems throughout a business enterprise and deliver it in useful form to help managers make decisions. Synergy describes the resulting effect of what happens when individuals are motivated or empowered to work together in non-traditional ways to stimulate new ideas and increase productivity.

Effects

The application of information technology systems breaks down traditional communications barriers among corporate departments and companies, allowing individuals to interact and collaborate in ways not possible before--thus creating new synergies. This applies to MIS systems as well as other IT systems. However, the benefits of this synergy heavily depend on the willingness of individuals to step outside of their traditional roles and work together.

Significance

In a global economy, companies that continuously innovate and create new products and services win. The quality and speed of innovation is directly linked to the synergy created from open and effective collaboration among all corporate stakeholders.

References

• Webopedia: MIS
• Tech Target: What is Synergy
• Information Research: Information Synergy as the catalyst between information Technology Capability and Innovativeness