Case Name :      Nortel: Re-Inventing Information Systems

Authors :           E.F. Peter Newson, Olga Volkoff

Source :             Ivey Publishing

Case ID :            97E001

Discipline :        Information Technology

Case Length :    18 pages

Solution Sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

Describes the situation faced by Nortel’s Information Systems (I/S) department as the company tried to respond to changes in its environment. With the evolution and convergence in the telecommunications industry and expansion onto the global stage, the company saw the need to improve integration across business units. The I/S department was charged with helping the business units reengineer their process. Brad Taylor, director of I/S, is trying to reengineer the I/S department itself so that it could fulfill the new role. Unfortunately, the existing structure–a fragmented I/S group struggling to meet existing expectations–was poorly positioned for this role. Brad’s dilemma was not only to change his own department, but to change the way in which it related to the rest of the company. Can be used to discuss the role and structure of an I/S department. Can also be used as the basis for a class on business process reengineering and/or managing organizational change.