CIO Leadership Characteristics and Styles

Although studies targeting CIO’s leadership characteristics are numerous, studies examining CIOs’ leadership styles are scarce. Today’s CIOs are often members of the firm’s C-level executive team with a wide range of leadership capabilities and characteristics that are not much different from those of the CEOs. What, then, are the characteristics and leadership styles for those CIOs? This literature review study attempts to answer those two questions by examining prior research on these topics. First, we examine prior literature identifying all studied characteristics and then, propose four categories to group them into meaningful sets. Second, we identify what leadership styles are used by researchers. And while the general leadership field has been evolving over the past twenty years shifting its focus and introducing new leadership styles, CIOs\u27 leadership research is still entrapped in the old school of thinking. Consequently, we intend to stimulate new thinking about studying CIOs’ characteristics and styles

QUANTUM INFORMATION SYSTEMS: HARNESSING INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP ENERGIES

In this working paper, we propose that an organization is a living organism that generates energy to achieve certain outcomes. We propose that the relationship between the inputs (individual and group use of information systems) and the outputs (strategic alignment and competitive advantage) of a system (an organization) depends on the basic principles of quantum mechanics. Specifically, we connect the neuroscience research that addresses qualia (individual) and quale (group) to the Management Information Systems (MIS) research. In this paper, we proffer our research objective, discuss our constructs, and present our interview process and survey items that we plan to conduct and administer

Theoretical Trends in IS/T Leadership: A Review of Published Research

One way to examine the research contribution in structuring knowledge about an Information system (IS) phenomenon is to understand its theoretical state, trends and traits (structural nature of theory). We performed a theoretical assessment of one specific IS phenomenon: Information systems/technology (IS/T) leadership. IS/T leadership is a process followed by the top IS executives to affect various stakeholders to achieve the IS/T related goals aligned with the organizational mission and vision. We performed a systematic literature review, and categorized the surveyed articles based on the Gregor’s taxonomy of theory types in IS research to identify the type of theories developed and used in IS/T research. Our findings demonstrate the interest in theory used for explaining and predicting IS/T leadership research

Start-up’s Performance: An Empirical Study on Dynamic Capabilities Under The Contributions of Bricolage and Social Capital

Objectives: Dynamic capabilities studies have emphasised how firms determine, integrate, build and reconfigure internal and external resources to adapt to rapidly changing business environment (Teece et al., 1997). Dynamic capabilities are described as routines to learn routines, resource integration consists of product development routines and strategic decision making, resource reconfiguration, and resource gain and release which include knowledge creation, alliance and acquisition routines (Eisenhardt and Martin, 2000). Lee et al. (2002), Zahra et al. (2006), Salunke et al. (2011) and Weerawardena et al. (2015) have proved that dynamic capabilities sustain competitive advantage, which in turn improves the performance of a new venture. However, our understanding of how a new venture builds and shapes dynamic capabilities is limited. This paper addresses the knowledge gap by empirically studying the contributions made by the bricolage and social capital of a management team on the dynamic capabilities of a start-up based upon data collected from new ventures in the UK. Prior work: In the study of Teece (2007), dynamic capabilities were disaggregated into the capability to sense and shape opportunities and threats, to seize opportunities, and to maintain competitiveness through enhancing, combining, protecting, and reconfiguring the business enterprise’s assets. To identify and shape opportunities, firms must constantly scan, search, and explore across technologies and markets through differential access to existing information and new knowledge. When the opportunity is ripe, firms will seize them by investing heavily in the particular technologies and designs most likely to achieve marketplace acceptance; the enterprises must identify when, where, and how much to invest, and select or create a particular business model implicating processes, incentives, and its alignment with the physical technologies with a commercialisation strategy and investment priorities. The dynamic capabilities of a new venture are determined by the firm’s abilities to identify, assimilate and exploit resources (Zahra and George, 2002; Lane et al., 2006). Various existing or ‘at hand’ resources will be effectively used and combined to find workable approaches to problems and opportunities through the process of bricolage (Baker, 2007). To facilitate those resource acquisitions, social capital promotes the flow of information and knowledge from diverse resources within the networks (Blyler and Coff, 2003). Thus, bricolage and social capital are respectively considered as method and catalyst to shape the dynamic capabilities of a new venture. The link between social capital and dynamic capabilities has been proposed by Blyler and Coff (2003), but has not been empirically tested by any scholar in both business and management fields. Furthermore, no study has considered bricolage as a method to exploit the existing resources in shaping the dynamic capabilities of a new venture. To address these knowledge gaps, this study will explore the British start-ups to construct a model in which bricolage and social capital shape dynamic capabilities, which in turn improve the performance of a new venture. Approach: By utilising an internet-based survey and quantitative data analysis method, this paper explores the bricolage, social capital and dynamic capabilities of management teams in British start-ups. Based upon the dynamic capability theory of Teece et al. (1997) and Teece (2007) this research constructs a new measurement to evaluate the dynamic capabilities of a new venture through sensing, seizing and sustaining dimensions. To study the social capital of a management team, this paper employs the studies of Tsai and Ghoshal (1998) to construct a new measurement for three components of social capital: Rational, structural and cognitive capital. Beside creating new measurements, this paper also employs instruments in the studies of Senyard et al. (2014) and Chandler and Hanks (1993) to measure the bricolage and performance of a new venture. To reduce common method bias, previously validated measurements were employed (Spector, 1987) and a pilot test on 38 new venture in the Dorset County undertaken which resulted in the survey being to avoid potential question confusion by respondents. Furthermore, to avoid measurement errors, the study conducted proper survey measures and used a construct validation test (the empirical indicators actually measure the construct) for validity (convergent and discriminant) and reliability. The results prove that research’s measurements are both valid and reliable. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is used to construct the research indicators. However, the EFA is not considered as a sufficient method to evaluate the dimensions because it cannot test the models with higher-order factors (Rubio et al., 2001). Therefore, in this study, we will utilize first-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to construct the lower-order factors, and the second-order CFA to construct the higher-order factors by applying the AMOS program. By using structural equation modelling, this study constructs a robust model which shows how social capital, bricolage and dynamic capabilities influence the performance of a new venture. Results and implications: The results from an examination of the British new ventures empirically demonstrate that by using bricolage to exploit social capital a management team can improve dynamic capabilities which, in turn, enhance a new venture’s performance. This study addresses some fundamental questions to contribute to the theory-based understanding of start-ups: How do the dynamic capabilities influence the performance of a new venture? How do social capital and bricolage contribute to the process of shaping the dynamic capabilities of a new venture

OPERATIONAL BUSINESS-IT MISALIGNMENT AS STRESS FACTOR FOR ORGANIZATIONS

Alignment between business and IT functions is a critical yet unsolved problem of many organizations. Despite considerable amount of research devoted to address this issue, the quest for alignment re-mains challenging, particularly in light of the rapid and widespread digitization of the business world. This paper argues that a research-practice gap exists in the alignment field, and that academic litera-ture fails to discuss key aspects of high practical relevance: alignment as an (emergent) process ra-ther than a state, and operational realities rather than strategic goals. To reduce this gap, we draw on extant alignment research and psychological approach-avoidance theory to develop a model of misa-ligned organizations, emphasizing the need for coordination between strategy and operations and in-vestigating the adverse effects of operational misalignment. Results from two case companies facing operational misalignment provide preliminary confirmation for our propositions and support the call for more practice-oriented research in this highly complex domain

INFORMATION SYSTEMS STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP IN THE LAST DECADE: NEW ADVANCEMENTS AND BLUE OCEAN OPPORTUNITIES

Information Systems (IS) strategic leadership literature is an important research stream in the IS field. Chief Information Officers (CIO) are central to this literature, with several themes discussing the roles, characteristics, effectiveness, CIO/TMT relationships, and organizational impact of CIOs. This paper discusses the IS leadership literature in last decade (2007-2017) with the objectives of synthesizing the recent articles, identifying new emerging themes, and presenting opportunities for “Blue Ocean” research. We argue that more research is still needed in this field, and potential contributions for both academia and practice are great

How Chief Information Officer Drives Innovation?

Owing to today’s global digital economy, information technology (IT) executives, namely Chief Information Officers (CIOs), play a crucial role in bridging the business and IT by exploiting IT as a strategic differentiator. Equipped with technical background, CIOs are well-positioned to help the firm to gather and utilize information to explore and exploit innovation. The study aims to investigate whether CIOs contributes to a firm’s innovative search. We examine the long-term effects of CIO appointment on the return on innovation investment through research and development (R&D) activities. By employing patent data and a matched sample of U.S. firms between 1995 and 2010, we show that CIO appointment is positively associated with future innovation efficiency. In particular, we find that CIOs in IT firms exerts a stronger influence on the pursuit of innovation. Taken together, our results shed light on the strategic role of CIO in cultivating firm’s innovation capability

Mutual Understanding Determinants for Effective Communication in Business and IT Strategic Alignment Planning

Business and IT strategic alignment is continuously explored from different facets motivated by the demands for organisation to be well aligned in its business and IT strategies for business continuity. The management aspect rather than technological issues often causes misalignment in business and IT strategies more significantly. One of the issues is the communication ineffectiveness between business and IT people involved in planning the business and IT strategic alignment. Difficulty to achieve mutual understanding between these two teams is a critical problem in communication and hinders the successful alignment. Therefore, a set of determinants for mutual understanding is proposed. Extensive analysis on literature has been carried out to identify and define the determining factors. The review can serve as a reference for business and IT executives to improve in their communication effectiveness towards achieving well aligned business and IT strategic alignment

An Empirical Study on Consumption Intention of Virtual Tour Streaming

This study employs the social interaction motivation of the audience to explore the social capital dual-model relationship generated by the audience of “Virtual Tour Streaming,” a term that describes virtual tour streaming’s nascent digital economy. This is situated in a virtual tour streaming platform to ascertain how it influences the intention of the audience and to use “Swift Guanxi” as the interaction variable to actual intention behavior. This is done to understand the contributions of virtual tour streaming adoption in a direct dial platform of different audience levels and their consumption behavior. The remaining sections discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the study

CEO-CIO Shared Understanding of the Role of Technology: Outcomes for Technological Innovation Value

In this paper, we propose that contextual “language style matching” between CEO and CIO - a form of similarity in verbal style based on the unconscious use of function words - can provide insight into the quality of collaboration between CEO and CIO. Following upper echelon and managerial cognition research, we argue that high levels of language style matching between the CEO and CIO when discussing the role of technology for the business reflects a shared understanding of the role of technology. As CEO-CIO shared understanding aligns technology innovation with overall business strategy, the economic value of the firm’s technological innovations increases. Counterintuitively, we expect the relationship to weaken when CEOs are overly optimistic, as CEOs are less likely to question technological innovation from a business standpoint. Thus, the shared understanding of the CEO and CIO is misguided. Using panel data, we find empirical support for these predictions