MANAGER OR TECHNICIAN? THE NATURE OF THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER'S JOB

The role of the information systems manager has evolved in twenty years from that of a technician managing a relatively unimportant service function into that of a vice presidential-level, general manager who department can substantially impact the entire organization. In this paper we trace, by example, the historical evolution of the job and, through an observational study of six information systems managers, examine the position today. The analysis includes the daily activities of the managers, the nature of the oral contacts that constitute 76% of their day, and other points of particular interest. The information systems managerâs role is depicted as one of coordinator, motivator, and planner, with a cadre of experts, both internal and external, to provide technical information.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

MANAGER OR TECHNICIAN? THE NATURE OF THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER'S JOB

The role of the information systems manager has evolved in twenty years from that of a technician managing a relatively unimportant service function into that of a vice presidential-level, general manager who department can substantially impact the entire organization. In this paper we trace, by example, the historical evolution of the job and, through an observational study of six information systems managers, examine the position today. The analysis includes the daily activities of the managers, the nature of the oral contacts that constitute 76% of their day, and other points of particular interest. The information systems managerâs role is depicted as one of coordinator, motivator, and planner, with a cadre of experts, both internal and external, to provide technical information.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

Manager or Technician? The Nature of the Information Systems Manager\u27s Job

The role of the information systems manager has evolved in twenty years from that of a technician managing a relatively unimportant service function into that of a vice presidential-level, general manager whose department can substantially impact the entire organization. In this paper we trace, by example, the historical evolution of the job and, through an observational study of six information systems managers, examine the position today. The analysis includes the daily activities of the managers, the nature of the oral contacts that constitute 76% of their day, and other notable observations. We found that the information systems manager is clearly more of a manager in the classical sense than a technician. The information systems manager relies heavily on interpersonal skills and the abi lity to motivate and guide subordinates. The manager is surrounded by technical specialists who provide expertise as required. The manager is not preoccupied with the day-to-day operations of the data processing organization, but spends a great deal of time planning the overall strategy for the information systems function. A great deal of the manager\u27s planning concerns human resources. A very small portion of the information systems manager\u27s contacts are with users gi any level. There was some informal evidence that the managers\u27 subordinates had responsibi lity for contact with operational users, particularly during development of new information systems. However, one can only conclude that the contact of information systems managers with functional management at their own level is noticeably absent. Such a conclusion is surprising in view of the plethora of Iiterature advocating top management involvement (on the user side) in development of new information systems

Bridging the IS-Line Interface: The Role of the Relationship Manager

IS Organizations are increasingly focusing on managing the interface between themselves and their clients within organizations to improve not only the level of customer service but also the utilization of firm investments in hardware and software. Several organizations have recently created full-time specialized positions, often termed \u27Relationship Manager\u27 to manage the relationship between IS and Line groups. This paper presents the results of an exploratory study to understand the role of the \u27Relationship Manager\u27(RM) and how people in these positions deliver value to IS and Line groups in the organization. Our findings are that the role of the RMs is complex, requiring a focus on the coordination of activities across the IS-Line interface in the short run while marshaling organizational energy towards initiatives that position the firm favorably in the medium and long term. Combining an intimate knowledge of the organization with expertise in IT, the RMs utilize their influential positions in the informal network within the firm to create and capitalize on opportunities to champion innovation and enable change

How Senior Executives Think and Work: Implications for the Design of Executive Information Systems

How do senior executives think ? Where do they get their information from ? What strategies do they use in learning about their organisational environments ? Which information media do they prefer to use ? Finding answers to these questions is fundamental in helping us understand how to build Executive Information Systems (EIS). This paper reviews the literature on senior executive work and decision making before presenting some practical guidelines for the design and implementation of high level executive information systems

Does an Information Technology Investment Contribute to Company Performance: a Further Examination of the Productivity Paradox

This article continues the discussion examining IT’s contribution on firm performance. Byrnjolfsson (1993) identified what is known as the “productivity paradox” and posited a number of reasons for it. Carr (2003) added fuel by suggesting IT is ubiquitous and provides no significant firm advantage. This study does identify that industry type and size matters. Utilizing the position of CIO, or similar, as a proxy for IT emphasis, the study finds that non-IT intensive organizations, with annual sales less than $101million do achieve performance advantages over firms without an IT emphasis. The implication being that the debate is far from over

CIOCB: A framework of competences for the Chief Information Officer - Preliminary study

The role of the Chief Information Officer and the expectations about its performance have undergone significant changes in recent years. This transformation was not only driven by the evolution of information technologies and information systems but was also due to its growing importance within organizations. The integration of the information systems manager into the top management team in many organizations also had a direct impact on the profile and competences required to carry out its activities. A review on the set of competences currently required from these managers is therefore required. This research-in-progress paper proposes a framework, named CIOCB, which identifies a broad set of competences needed for the Chief Information Officer.- (undefined

CIO/CTO Job Roles: An Emerging Organizational Model

The position of Chief Information Systems Officer (CIO) has become a daunting job due to the myriad of business and technical responsibilities assigned to the organization\u27s top information systems (IS) executive. CIOs are being asked to successfully ensure the firm\u27s IS investments are continually aligned with its strategic business objectives, while also planning and maintaining an IT infrastructure that will meet the firm\u27s current and future information processing needs. Many CIOs are finding it extremely difficult to balance the two key roles of technician and businessperson successfully. Many business experts that have analyzed this problem have concluded that the tasks and responsibilities assigned to a typical CIO may be too overwhelming for a single person. This paper advances a formal organizational structure in which the typical responsibilities of the CIO position are re-allocated to two IS executives - the CIO and the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). This paper also describes which responsibilities should be retained by the CIO and which responsibilities should be delegated to the CTO. Finally, a discussion of the challenges and benefits associated with the implementation of CIO/CTO organizational leadership structure is presented

BENEFITS MANAGEMENT – A LITERATURE REVIEW AND ELEMENTS OF A RESEARCH AGENDA

Benefits Management (BM) deals with the systematic planning, realization and controlling of the intended benefits of IS/IT projects, beyond the traditional success measures of staying within project time frame and budget limits. The article describes the results of a BM literature review that seeks to describe the state-of-science as well as to identify fields of promising further research. Our main findings are that, although the pioneering work of Ward et al. on BM have structured the discipline early on and have been adopted as a basis by other researchers, the research on the BM process itself is still scarce and many opportunities for future research remain open