Abstract
An argument for an operations-oriented, as opposed to management-oriented, approach to information systems design in public organizations is presented. It is demonstrated through empirical evidence that the resulting operations information systems can both support the activities of the operating staff and meet the management needs of the administrative staff, whereas the traditional management information system can at best meet the needs of the administrative staff. The two approaches and their respective systems are compared in terms of a range of system issues, including system focus, requirements, input, output, users, flexibility, and scope.< >
