Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
topic
Visionary Leadership
, when he stated, “Action without vision is stumbling in the dark.
Vision without action is poverty-stricken poetry” (Nanus, 1990).
Due to space constraints, examples of the remaining four problem categories are briefly
presented below.
Operational Issues, Controversies, and Problems
The CIO Does Not Actively Participate in Agency and Program Planning
Respondents indicated that the IT unit is treated as a separate organization within the
larger agency.
There are agencies where the technology unit is so far away from the programs that they
probably don't know each other if they meet on the street, and that's a problem.
Past research in the private sector indicates that IT innovations result from top-
management's perception and acceptance of the CIO as a partner in the development of the
overall corporate and subunit strategies (McKenney, 1995).
The absence of the CIO in the strategy formulation process beyond IT reduces the
potential reach and range of IT (Keen, 1991). Also, this can result in the fragmented
implementation of IT with the long-term result being:
We also have many islands of computing external to this [IT unit] organization.
Lack of Standards and Protocols to Control End-User Development
There are continuous requests for service placed upon the IT unit by groups across the
agency. Limited resources have caused a substantial backlog of service requests within the
IT unit. Often, individuals and groups cannot wait and opt to take matters into their own
hands:
Most managers must cobble together information on their PCs just to find out
basic things like where their budgets are. So we have a long way to go. We're
not satisfied.
Unfortunately, quick fix solutions are often pursued in the absence of standards. Thus,
the CIO is placed in the unenviable position of attempting to dictate how users must satisfy
their own needs:
It's a combination of the reality of the size of the organization, and the inability
to have absolute standardization of data. We would like a much higher level
of standardization. We try to persuade our clients to apply good practices.
When they don't, we try to help them to survive with their own approaches and
support them as much as possible.
Educational Issues, Controversies, and Problems
Program Managers are Often Not IT Literate
Recall that CIOs must speak the language of program heads and the top decision maker.
The same rationale applies here but in the other direction. CIOs must become more business
literate, so too must program management become more technologically literate. The
following quote is a call for such education:
People in the boardroom are unaware of what technology can do for them.
