The Oxford Science Lecture Series

ANNE LEEMING

Director of the MBA in IT Management, City University Business School

"Preparing for IT's next surprise"

University Museum, Oxford, 15th May 1997

Anne Leeming gave the third in the series of Oxford Science Lectures at the University Museum. Anne is the Director of the MBA in IT Management at City University, and as such is very well placed to speak about the developments of IT in the business arena, what ideas were held in the past and where IT might be heading in the future.

One of the main lessons from the introductory part of Anne's lecture is that one must be careful about what pronouncements one makes about the future of IT. Embarrassing quotes from previous eras include, "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.", from T. Watson, the CEO of IBM in 1943, and, "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.", from K. Olsen, president, chairman and founder of DEC in the 1960's. Perhaps we can only conclude that we must be prepared for anything when it comes to the future uses of IT!

Anne then went on to talk about the key technologies in use today: for example, digital transmission, the Internet, data warehousing and software manufacturing. New applications include remote surgery, electronic money and video conferencing. These raise issues for business: face-to-face interaction with customers and suppliers is decreasing as is the connection of business activities with time and place. For example, employees can now work remotely using internet links with their company so there is the situation where computer software being built in the USA is actually being written by programmers in Europe or Asia. Many organisations now have telephone "call centres" to deal with enquiries which may be in a completely different country to the parent company - with digital communications, location is no longer an issue.

How can we then make sense of IT and plan for the future? There are still many problems, for example although technology is developing very quickly there is a lack of focus on usability and how humans interact with technology. Unless such issues are dealt with, IT will not be used to its full potential. New skills, organisation and management styles are required which will encourage creativity, imagination and common sense in the application of IT.

Anne finished by noting that women and the disabled are currently poorly represented in IT employment. This may be due to the image of IT, which associates it with technology rather usage. Caring abilities, generally associated with women, are often perceived as incompatible with technical ability whereas Anne's argument is precisely that a greater focus on human interaction and behaviour must be the way forward for IT.

A video of the lecture was made ETRC of Oxford University and is available to order (contact Jeanne Gurr on jeanne.gurr@admin.ox.ac.uk). We would like to acknowledge the generous support of the EPSRC for this lecture.

Dr Catherine Hobbs.