Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
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Internal constituencies
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Top-level managers
The Small IT Unit CIO group indicated that focusing on the key constituent group “top-
level managers” is their most critical business factor out of the nine business factors that
emerged as critical for the group. Top-level managers ranked fourth out of the eight critical
business factors that emerged in the Large IT Unit CIO profile.
In contrast, The Large IT Unit CIO group indicated that focusing on the principal aim
“agency objectives and goals” is their most critical business factor out of the eight business
factors that emerged as critical for the group. Agency objectives and goals ranks seventh
out of the nine critical business factors in the Small IT Unit CIO profile.
The major difference between the critical business factors for the two profiles lies in the
types of decision outcomes and key groups that they feel are critical to focus on, beyond
those that they have in common. In addition to the six critical business factors common to
both profiles, three others emerged as critical in the Small IT Unit CIO profile that are absent
from the Large IT Unit CIO profile:
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Internal IT users
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Middle-level managers
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Program decision made outside the IT unit
These data suggest that the Small IT Unit CIO group is inclined to focus on more key
groups that are internal to their agencies than is the Large IT Unit CIO group. In addition, the
Small IT Unit CIO group is more inclined to focus on the outcomes of decisions that are made
external to the IT unit but still internal to their agencies.
In contrast, two business factors emerged as critical in the Large IT Unit CIO profile that
are absent from the Small IT Unit profile:
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External constituencies
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Government policies and regulations
These data suggest that the Large IT Unit CIO group is inclined to focus on more key
groups that are external to their agencies, than is the Small IT Unit CIO group. In addition,
the Large IT Unit CIO group is also more inclined to focus on the outcomes of decisions that
are made external to the IT unit, and are also made external to their agencies.
The size of the IT unit that the CIO manages appears to be related to the type of high-
level agency characteristics (i.e., business factors) that they feel are critical to focus on. CIOs
who manage a Small IT Unit staff are more inclined to focus on business factors that have
an internal orientation with respect to their agencies. Further, CIOs who manage a Large IT
Unit staff are inclined to focus on business factors that have an external orientation with
respect to their agencies.
Understanding of Human Factors
One of the six human factors emerged as critical in both of the IT unit size contextual
setting profiles:
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Successful people who embody the agency's values, character, and culture
