Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
INTRODUCTION
Information systems (IS) planning
1
and the degree to which that planning is clearly
linked into an organization's strategic goals have been widely recognized as key factors in
the successful use of information technology (IT)
2
within the organization (see, for example,
Watson et al., 1997). While many organizations in our community are pursuing these
objectives, little is known about the extent or effectiveness of IS planning in schools,
particularly in terms of meeting the schools' strategic objectives, even though information
and communication technologies (ICT)
3
are now widely used in educational settings.
Over a decade ago, Telem (1993) suggested that the use of IT as a management tool in
educational contexts was a neglected area of research, particularly in terms of lack of an
underlying knowledge base. Although the ensuing years have seen an increased research
focus on ICT in educational management, this focus has concentrated more on evaluative
analysis of the efficacy of management information systems, computerized school informa-
tion systems, and specific applications of information technology (see, for example, Barta,
Telem, & Gev, 1995; Fung et al., 1997) than on understanding how schools develop their ICT
systems and integrate them into their management systems and practices.
ICT planning as it relates to schools can be defined as the process of identifying the
information and communication technologies used to support the educational and adminis-
trative goals of schools and of deciding how these technologies will be developed and
managed (Lederer & Sethi, 1988; Smits & van der Poel, 1996). According to Latham (1998),
however, ICT planning of this sort is still in its infancy in schools. His analogy is apt if we
assume that schools, like businesses, take time to develop their ICT strategies in a manner
that is commensurate with their strategic objectives. In this chapter, we present a study
designed to document the evolution of ICT planning maturity in schools, and to identify, in
particular, the factors and stages that influence and characterize integration between ICT
planning and educational strategy. From our results, we suggest a common evolutionary
pathway for ICT planning in schools and provide a foundation on which to propose a “stages
of growth” model for characterizing and evaluating ICT planning in these settings. But before
describing our study and the model arising out of it, we consider it useful to give brief accounts
of some of the stages of growth models present in IS literature; the ways that schools tend
to use ICT to achieve their organizational objectives; and the current state of play regarding
ICT usage in educational settings within New Zealand.
Stages of Growth Models
The notion that organizations evolve is encapsulated in various stages of growth
models that are widely used in organizational and IS research. In IS literature, these models
are based on the premise that organizations move through various stages of maturity in their
use and management of IS (Nolan, 1973; Huff, Munro, & Martin, 1988; King & Teo, 1997; Teo
& King, 1997). For example, King and Teo (1997) proposed a four-stage model conceptualizing
the integration of information systems planning (ISP) and business planning (BP) over time,
to better enable the effective support of business strategies. These four stages are as follows:
1.
Separate planning with administrative integration
: In this stage, IS planning is
technically oriented and nonstrategic. Performance criteria for the IS function are likely
to focus on operational efficiency and cost minimization, and existing work processes
may be automated.
