ABSTRACT
One of the most fundamental uses of information systems in organizations concerns the application of information and technology to ‘monitor’ aspects of organizational activities. The impact of monitoring and metrics has a profound effect on operations. Unfortunately, in organizations, the monitoring is commonly done extremely badly, often compounded by the power of the technology to hold huge amounts of monitoring data (commonly a ‘scattergun’ approach to monitoring). In this chapter we will explore a range of ideas about how to diagnose and improve monitoring activities. The discussion will outline how teleological systems models and constructs can help the human process of monitoring organizational processes.
