Problem solving models that build effective relationships with your users. (information systems staff interaction)

Until fairly recently, IS professionals had unusual freedom to define their corporate roles, often thinking of themselves as a breed apart from other employees. Regardless of whether their employer built cars, sold appliances, or distributed electrical power, they practiced information systems development in essentially the same manner.

Believing that they were the keepers of the keys to data, software, and hardware, IS insulated itself from the turmoil of the users "out there." IS adhered to its own rules, forced compliance to its own procedures, addressed users in its own lingo, and had control over its resources to a degree envied by most managers.

If you haven't noticed, users have changed their attitudes toward IS. If IS doesn't adapt to a new environment, it may lose even more autonomy and control than it already has. By acquiring their own systems, developing their own bases of expertise, and educating themselves, IS's clients have empowered themselves and now demand a less-one sided relationship with IS. It is incumbent on all IS staff, therefore, to nurture the most constructive and positive relationships they can with functional area users.

The most important form of interaction IS can have with a user is when the user has a problem such as having to buy a PC, add a report, modify a database, develop a new system, or acquire a new software package. The kind of relationship IS creates when responding to a user's request for assistance is a key determinant of IS's success or failure and of its perceived value to the enterprise.

IS staff, consciously or unconsciously, can select from at least four models when they engage in problem solving with a user. The selected model frequently shapes users' opinions about what IS thinks of itself, how it behaves, and what it values. The models proposed here delineate traits by which you can evaluate whether individual and group behaviors in your IS department are likely to be productive and result in good user relations. None of the models is inherently good or bad, but rather must be judged for appropriateness with respect to the specific situation.

The Paternalistic Model

As the name suggests, IS staff using the paternalistic model see themselves as being responsible for recommending a solution to a user's problems. They draw on their past experiences and on their advanced training to define the problem and to describe one or more preferred solutions for the user. The paternalist expects the user to adopt the recommended solution.

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