The challenges for IT Managers in the constant fluctuating and global marketplace are demanding. In addition to the relentless threat of cyber-attacks, IT Managers are also faced with having to navigate both current and emerging technologies, cyber security initiatives, cloud computing, and attracting and keeping top talent. In the same vein, IT Managers must understand the financial aspects and the requirements of operating an organization’s IT infrastructure. According to Strokes (2004), IT Managers, historically, are alone in their IT initiatives, though they have an abundance of technical acumen; they appear to be deficient in organizational and business sense.
I would argue that IT managers and CIOs have been thrust into the spotlight in recent years due to the plethora of data security breaches, loss of intellectual property, and inadequate training of their IT personnel. Nevertheless, I would underscore that IT Managers and CIOs in today’s organization are in a more powerful position than ten-years ago, and CEOs/CFOs are now more willing to increase IT infrastructure and IT training budgets to protect the organization’s intellectual property and customers’ data within their organizations. Therefore, IT Manager and COIs must do their due diligence and articulate (from the business perspective) why an increased investment in IT will be a WIN-WIN for the organization and customers.
Moreover, IT Managers in today’s society must possess a variety of competencies covering IT, business acumen, future vision, and a strategic planning in order to be effective and competitive in the global marketplace. As noted by Ernest and Nisavic (2007), IT strategy and the business strategy must strive to align with one another in an organization to ensure both future visions are discussed and included in the short and long budget discussions.
References
Ernest, M., & Nisavic, J. M. (2007). Adding value to the IT organization with the component business model. IBM Systems Journal, 46(3), 387-403. Retrieved from http://dl.acm.org/citation,cfm?id=1331917
Strokes, S.L. (2004). Taking charge. information Systems Management, 21(1), 93. Retrieved from http://www.maaw.info/JournalOfImformationSystems.htm
About the author: Dr. Hollis is a retired 30 U.S. Navy Information Professional (IP) Officer and is the CEO/President of HollisGroup LLC . His has a MBA and Ph.D. in Organization and Management; with a Specialization: Information Technology Management. His Dissertation is a titled “Leadership Styles: A Phenomenological Study of Transformational, Transactional, and Situational Leadership Styles Employed by CIOs at Military Combatant Commands”. He can be contacted via email at Dr. Eric Hollis or his office (813) 333-6503.
