Persistent problems with IT-user collaboration: a functionalist explanation of relationship management

Abstract

Collaboration between IT staff and user groups is an enduringly problematic aspect of IS deployment and use in organizations. In this paper we offer an explanation as to why such difficulties persist despite management initiatives designed to eliminate them. We examine how a retail banking organization attempted to improve IT-user collaboration through the creation of an intermediary role called a relationship manager. The new role was not used as intended, and the organizational response was to introduce more relationship managers in an attempt to regain control. Adopting a functionalist perspective, we see relationship management as a problematic structure that served to heighten professional allegiances at the expense of organizational goals, with the unintended consequence that the IT and user departments became more alienated. Finally, we highlight some limitations of functionalist explanation in order to present the implications of our work for professional practice and suggest further directions for IS research.