Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
tiveness and efficiency have increased organizations' reliance on information technology
(IT). Most organizations have integrated some arrangement of IT within or throughout their
operations. Whether an organization is a leader or a follower in its respective industry, IT and
the information infrastructure it supports have become a critical component in the manage-
ment and operations of modern organizations (McKenney et al., 1995).
There are many examples of IT innovations leading up to the Y2K era that have enabled
cost reductions in information access, processing, and flow across a myriad of organizational
forms. The Department of Transportation's CIO, George Molaski, stated that “IT has become
an integral part of virtually all transportation systems. Successful mission performance is now
heavily reliant on IT” (Hickey, 1999, p. 43). Examples of the creative application of IT for
competitive and strategic initiatives continue to emerge at an increasing, and in some cases,
an alarming rate. This has become a normal, rather than an exceptional, component of the
business that organizations conduct.
Not surprisingly, the manner in which IT is deployed is as varied as the information
environments and decision-making processes that drive its use. Unfortunately, not a single
model has emerged that ensures the effective use of IT in all contexts. Despite the uncertainty
of success, organizations continue to expand the scope (i.e., reach and range) of their IT
applications (Keen, 1991). Though the cost of IT relative to processing power is improving
dramatically, the overall corporate expenditure on IT continues to rise. This phenomenon has
caused many organizations to rethink their management of information, the requisite IT, and
the associated costs. Managerial responsibility for these processes is increasingly being
consolidated in the person of the
chief information officer
(Dodaro, 1997; Stephens, 1995).
William Synott defined the “chief information officer” (CIO) as the “senior executive
responsible for establishing corporate information policy, standards, and management
control over all corporate information resources” (Synott & Gruber, 1981, p. 66). Twenty years
later, organizations have run the gambit in attempting to correctly implement the position
within the context of their specific environment.
It is worth mentioning that although many organizations now have a CIO role, the CIO
title is not as common (Frenzel, 1992). This is especially true in the public sector. Generally,
public-sector agencies still opt for such titles as “Director of Management Information
Systems,” “Vice President of Data Processing,” “Associate Commissioner of Information
Technology,” among others (Penrod et al., 1990). Despite the infrequent use of the CIO title
in the public sector, past research has found “remarkable consistency between the primary
functions reported for CIOs in the literature and those performed by our survey respondents”
(Penrod et al., 1990, p. 16). As such, in this chapter, these titles are considered synonymous
with the “chief information officer” title and position.
MAIN THRUST OF THE CHAPTER
Reframing IT Management Pedagogy to Address the Need for
Interdisciplinary Education and Practice
Despite the insight gained from past private- and public-sector-based CIO research, “no
one model is emerging for the CIO and supportive organization” (Penrod et al., 1990, p. 9).
For example, John Thomas Flynn, CIO of the State of Massachusetts since 1994 explains,
“There was no model in state government for CIO when I took the position.…I ended up
modeling my job after the position at General Motors, which had divisional information
