Chapter 10 Leading the IT Function Lecture 19 Chapter 10 Leading the IT Function

Project Turn in Hard copy (in class Thursday) Soft copy (by email to kross@soe.ucsc.edu and sharkllama@soe.ucsc.edu) Please clearly note which section(s) each student was responsible for

Leadership of the IT Function Key Learning Objectives for Chapter 10: Understand the different roles that IT can play in organizations and recognize that this role can change over time Understand why IT role transitions may create organizational tensions and conflict. Understand why it is valuable to match the leadership approach to the role that IT is expected to fill in the business

Three eras in Organizational Learning New technologies have led to different eras in technology adoption: Data processing era Micro era (from late 1970s) Network era (from early 1990s)

Different key players and leaders in each era IBM leader in data processing era Stayed leader into micro era by introducing IBM personal computer Apple Macintosh computer had more sophisticated operating system, making user interface easier Competition drove innovation

Discontinuous technology advances Other industries Turbojet in airplanes Radial tires adopted by Michelin Technology Shift from mainframe to microcomputers Shift to networked infrastructure

Four areas of IT impact Automating Transaction Processing Informating Middle of Organization Imbedding IT in products and services Internal and external networking

Analyzing the Role of IT in an Organization

The four quadrants Support Factory Turnaround Strategic Each requires different leadership approach

Transitions Turnaround Factory Strategic All of these require different management skills and approaches. All lead to different tensions

Managing Tensions Execution-innovation IT-business relationship

Organizing and Leading IT Introducing new technologies Maintaining old technologies Balancing maintenance with innovation Defining roles

Organizational Issues Tension between innovation and control Depends on firm willingness to take risks Is IT supposed to create or reduce risks? Tension between IT staff and business users Users want short term fulfillment IT want standardization, mastery of technology Balance is easy to get wrong See table

IT vs. user dominance

Drivers toward user Dominance Pent-up user demand Need for staff flexibility Growth in IT services industry Users’ desire to control own destiny Fit with organization

Drivers toward centralized IT structure Staff professionalism Standard setting and ensuring system maintainability Envisioning possibilities and determining feasibility Corporate Data Management Cost estimation and analysis

Coordination and Location of IT policy The next few slides outline the responsibilities of IT Users Management

Coordination and Location of IT policy: IT Responsibilities Develop and manage long-term architectural plan Develop process to establish, maintain and evolve company standards in Telecommunication protocols and platforms Client devices and client software configurations Server devices, middleware and database management systems Programming and configuration languages Documentation procedures and formats Data definitions, especially for widely used data elements Storage redundancy, backup and disaster recovery procedures Information security policy and incident response procedures Establish procedures that consider outsourcing options when new IT projects are proposed Ensure outsourced projects meet company standards

Coordination and Location of IT policy: IT Responsibilities Maintain inventory of installed and planned systems and services Evaluate value of these ongoing Identify career paths for IT staff Horizontal/vertical Establish internal marketing efforts Users understand challenges and costs, updates Incorporate RFP process for new hardware/software Identify and maintain relationships with preferred vendors Establish education programs for business users Set up process for ongoing review of legacy systems to determine upgrades, redesigns

Coordination and Location of IT Policy: User Responsibilities Seek to understand scope of all “IT activities supporting business users Charge-back system, IT pressures, activity based overhead allocation Develop realistic estimates of the amount of user personnel investment required for new projects both during development/deployment and in ongoing operation and use Ensure comprehensive user input for all IT projects that support vital aspects of the unit’s operations. Ensure nature of staffing interfaces is consistent with a new technology’s strategic relevance to a business unit. How strategic project is should correspond to staffing Periodically audit system reliability standards, communications services performance and security procedures Participate in developing and maintaining IT plans that set new technology priorities, schedule the transfer of IT among groups, and evaluate projects in light of overall company strategy

Coordination and Location of IT Policy: Management/Policy Responsibilities Ensure an appropriate balance between It and business users Maintain comprehensive corporate IT strategy Manage inventory of hardware and software systems and services Corporate relationships with vendors Establish standards for acquisition, development and IT systems operation. Facilitate transfer of technology from one unit to another Look for synergies and overlaps Actively encourage technical experimentation. Develop appropriate planning and control system to link IT to company goals Monitor planning, system appraisal, charge-back, project management

IT Leadership and Management of Budgets Budgets are extremely important control mechanism! Budget to IT team directly or through business units? Often a mix of both Example: phase-out of technology

Stages Theory of IT Adoption and Organizational Learning Framework for understanding IT assimilation in business organizations Proposed in 1973 by Richard Nolan, professor at Harvard Modified over time Based on idea of an S-shaped learning curve

Four stages of organizational learning Initiation Contagion Control Integration

Multiple growth processes Applications Portfolio Resources Management User Awareness