| This paper examines an approach to telecommunications planning that is focused on organizational collaboration and attempts to discuss critical telecom and organizational factors. The study seeks to evaluate potential improvements in company direction, by improved company coordination through efficiencies gained by collaborative efforts.;Investments by industry in Information Systems is jeopardized in many organizations because of difficulties with technology transfer and the lack of group collaboration throughout the organization by making telecom an understandable strategic business resource. This is exemplified by Frank, (1987), TPT magazine. "Telecom managers are being asked to apply networks as a strategic business resource, but the senior executives who shape corporate strategy couldn't care less about networking. To break the impasse with senior management, all parties must learn more about the others' business". In an attempt to bridge this growing need the author researched and performed a pilot field study on a select sample group which interacted with a newly developed experimental telecommunications group decision support system (GDSS) known as the "Telecom Planner" which operates in a personal computer and is modeled in accordance with Keen, (1988). The "Telecom Planner" is based on Keen's book, Competing in time. In this book a focus is given to technology transfer and relevant organizational support issues. The "Telecom Planner" is also characteristic of other group decision support systems (GDSS) described in Kraemer, King, ACM Surveys, 1988 as a sociotechnical package consisting of hardware, software, organizationware, and people. The role of the information technologists to manage in a highly changing organizations is very important to the success of telecom. The new age of Information Systems Management requires a high degree of planning expertise because clear guidelines for telecom group decision support systems (GDSS) have not become developed by the industry. Information Technologists are struggling to coordinate planning activities within their organization without the benefit of new group decision support system (GDSS) technologies and in many instances a variety of difficulties have occurred. |
