Environmental modelling of the Chief Information Officer

Since the introduction of the term in the 1980’s, the role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) has been widely researched. Various perceptions and dimensions of the role have been explored and debated. However, the explosion in data proliferation (and the inevitable resulting information fuelled change) further complicates organisational expectations of the CIOs role. If organisations are to competitively exploit the digital trend, then those charged with recruiting and developing CIOs now need to be more effective in determining (and shaping) CIO traits and attributes, within the context of their own organisational circumstances and in line with stakeholder expectations. CIOs also need to determine their own suitability and progression within their chosen organisation if they are to remain motivated and effective. Before modelling the role of the future CIO, it is necessary to synthesise our current knowledge (and the lessons learnt) about the CIO. This paper, therefore, aims to identify and summate the spectrum of key researched ‘themes’ pertaining to the role of the CIO. Summating previous research, themes are modelled around four key CIO ‘dimensions’, namely (1) Impacting factors, (2) Controlling factors (3) Responses and (4) CIO ‘attributes’. Having modelled the CIOs current environment, and recognising the evolving IT enabled information landscape, the authors call for further research to inform the recruitment and development of the future CIO in terms of personal attributes and the measurable impact such attributes will have on their respective organisation

An extension of the technology acceptance model for business intelligence systems: project management maturity perspective

Business intelligence systems (BISs) refer to wide range of technologies and applications useful for retrieving and analyzing the large amount of information with the goal to generate knowledge useful for making effective business decision. In order to investigate adoption of BISs in companies, we propose a model based on the technology acceptance model (TAM) that is expanded by variables representing the concept of a project management maturity (PMM). The survey on the sample of USA companies has been conducted with the chief information officer (CIO) as the main informant. Structural equations model has been developed in order to test the research model. Results indicate that TAM expanded with the notion of PMM is useful in increasing understanding of BISs adoption in companies

Communication role and competencies of IT manager

Preživjeti učestale tržišne borbe u turbulentnoj konkurentskoj okolini pod pritiskom duge recesije ključni je cilj svake suvremene organizacije koja posluje na tržišnim principima. Biti učinkovitiji, a time i uspješniji od konkurencije, važan je imperativ i suvremena paradigma uspjeha. Oslonjenost na IKT kao na resurs organizacije, koji pravilnim upravljanjem može stvoriti dodatnu vrijednost i postizanje prednosti pred dugima, važna je odrednica suvremenih poslovnih odluka. Međusobno prožimanje IKT-a i sveprisutne globalizacije uzrok je velikih promjena u načinu života i suvremene paradigme poslovanja. Eksternalizacija nastala u želji za povoljnijim IKT uslugama te brze izmjene tehnologije i trendova, od IKT-a očekuju da on bude glavni alat za rezanje troškova kao i da sam sebe učini što više učinkovitim. Takvim promjenama, koje su obuhvatile cijeli globalizirani svijet te novim pristupom u korištenju IKT-a kao zaloga svakoga progresa, mijenjaju se uloga i tražene kompetencije idealnoga IT menadžera. Kako bi IT menadžer razumio i uspješno provodio ono što od njega očekuje organizacija u kojoj je zaposlen, on više ne može biti isključivi tehničar zadužen za IKT infrastrukturu. Od njega se sve više traži upravljanje IKT sustavom na višoj razini te učinkovita komunikacija u svim smjerovima: s korisnicima IKT-a, članovima tima, upravom i dobavljačima. S upravom mora izgraditi odlične odnose i dobru komunikaciju na jeziku poslovanja kako bi dobio potrebna financijska sredstva za projekte, a s korisnicima IKT-a treba komunicirati razumljivim rječnikom bez pretjerane upotrebe stručnoga žargona. Pri tome mora imati u vidu kako je informacijska pismenost uprave i korisnika IKT-a počesto na nedovoljnoj razini za razumijevanje IKT problematike. Upravljanje tako kompleksnim odnosima, od IT menadžera traže veliko znanje, stručnost i uključenost. Stručne, voditeljske i komunikacijske kompetencije, najvažniji su čimbenici uspjeha ili neuspjeha IT menadžera, a time posljedično i organizacije kojoj taj IT menadžer i IT sektor pripada. Uzimajući u obzir važnost IKT-a za poslovni uspjeh organizacije, potrebna je svijest o tome od kolike je važnosti imati izvrsnoga i kompetentnoga IT menadžera koji je u stanju voditi tako kompleksan sustav te uspješno i kompetentno komunicirati sa svojom okolinom. Pri tome se njegove ljudske i etičke vrijednosti nikako ne smiju ispustiti iz vida jer su etičnost i dosljednost u međusobnim odnosima činitelj najveće usklađenosti uzajamnih očekivanja IKT korisnika i IT menadžera. Odmah nakon toga, vrlo je visok stupanj njihove međusobne usklađenosti u pitanju komunikacijskih kompetencija IT menadžera. Ipak, zabrinjava nizak stupanj vrednovanja komunikacijskih kompetencija od strane IT menadžera što je u skladu s prethodnim hrvatskim istraživanjima, no istovremeno i u neskladu sa svjetskim statistikama jer se radi o kompetencijama koje se u svijetu najviše cijene.Surviving frequent market struggles in a turbulent competitive environment under the burden of a long recession is the key aim of every modern organization operating according to market principles. Being more efficient, and with it, more successful than the competition is an important imperative and a modern paradigm of success. An important determinant of modern business decision-making is relying on ICT as the organization's resource, one which, if managed properly, can bring added value and give leverage over the others. The mutual permeation of ICT and the omnipresent globalization is the cause of great changes in the way we live and in the modern paradigm of doing business. The externalization, which was the result of the wish for more affordable ICT services, as well as rapid changes in technology and trends, resulted in the expectations from ICT to be the main tool for cutting costs, while at the same time making itself more efficient. Along with changes such as these, which have affected the entire globalized world and along with the new approach in using ICT as a pledge for every kind of progress, the roles and the competencies of the ideal IT manager are changing as well. In order for the CIO to understand and successfully implement the ideas of the organization he is employed in, he can no longer be just a technician in charge of ICT infrastructure. The CIO is increasingly being requested to manage the ICT system on a higher scale and to have an efficient communication in all directions: with the ICT users, team members, the board and the suppliers. He needs to establish an excellent relationship and good communication with the board in order to get the funds necessary for the projects. Also, he needs to communicate with ICT users so that he is understood, without the overuse of expert jargon. He needs to keep in mind that, more often than not, the IT literacy of the board and the users is on a level insufficient enough for the understanding of ICT issues. Managing such complex relationships requires CIOs to have a lot of knowledge, expertise and involvement. The expertise, along with supervisory and communication competencies are the most important factors that determine whether or not a CIO will be successful and consequently affect the organization to which a CIO and IT sector belong. By taking into consideration the importance of ICT for the business success of an organization, we need to be aware of the importance of having an excellent and competent CIO who is able to lead such a complex system and successfully and competently communicate within his surroundings. His human and ethical values mustn't by any means be neglected, because ethics and consistency in human relationships contribute to the highest level of coordination between the expectations of both the ICT users and CIOs. What follows right after is the very high level of mutual coordination regarding the CIO's communication competencies. Still, there is reason for concern because the CIOs are not appraising communication competencies enough, which is consistent with the previous studies in Croatia, but it is inconsistent with global statistics, which show that communication competencies are the most highly regarded in the world