Information systems: Emergence of a new organizational function

Abstract Data processing units have undergone a process of rapid advancement both in function and organizational location, maturing as a separate autonomous area devoted to information systems. This paper is a study of the dynamic change in the organizational location of information units. Fifty-three organizations from a wide variety of industries in a large metropolitan area were studied. Some consistency in the location of the information systems within organizations have been identified. Concrete advice presented here may save readers one or more disrupting relocations of the information systems unit in their organizations.