Building Better IT Leaders from the Bottom

Up

Chapter 6

18-1© 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  Publishing as Prentice Hall

© 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  Publishing as Prentice Hall

Leadership Is Everyone’s Job

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“Effective leadership has enormous benefits. To realize these benefits, leadership qualities should be explicitly recognized, reinforced, and rewarded at all levels of the IT organization.” (McKeen and Smith, 2003)

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Why Is the IT Organization a Hierarchy?

Little Pressure to Change

Organization that IT is a Part of is

Hierarchical

Senior Executives have Difficulty Relinquishing

Control

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© 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  Publishing as Prentice Hall

Transformational IT Leadership Requires …

Top-Line FocusNew technologies & apps drive differentiation & transformationStrong IT leadership teams needed to influence business leaders

CredibilityMust demonstrate skills & competencies to make commitments

ImpactAll IT staff need stronger entrepreneurial capabilitiesEven small IT decisions can have major impact the organization

FlexibilityIT must responsive to changing business needs

ComplexityExpected to offer low-cost, change & innovation leadership

New TechnologyIncreasingly mobile tech requires innovation in business relationship

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© 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  Publishing as Prentice Hall

What Makes a Good IT Leader?

• Self-knowledge• Awareness of individuals

approaches to work• Adapt to different

situations

Personal Mastery

• Motivation & Team Building

• Collaboration & Communication

• Risk Assessment & Problem Solving

• Coaching & Mentoring

Leadership Skill Mastery

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What Makes a Good IT Leader? Continued

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• Strategic Vision• Solid Understanding of

Current Operations• Solid Understanding of

Fute Direction

Business Understan

ding

• Ability to Execute Enterprise Transformation

• Ability to Integrate Technology with People & Processes

• Political Savvy & Effective Use of Governance Structures

Organizational

Understanding

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What Makes a Good IT Leader? Continued

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• Create an Environment of Trust

• Create an Environment of Accountability

• Create an Environment of Empowerment

Creating a Supportive Working Environme

nt• Ability to Concentrate on

Biggest Payoff Areas• Recognize where

Resources Should Not be Used

• Enhance People’s Abilities

Effective Use of

Resources

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What Makes a Good IT Leader? Continued

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• Know where and how to exercise leadership

• Adjust style to suit the situation

Flexibility of

Approach

• Ability to articulate contributions in business terms

• Ability to interact with business leaders

• Ability to educate and guide business leaders in the use of technology

Ability to Gain

Business Attention

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Flexible Leadership Styles (Roberts and Mingay, 2004)

Commanding: “Do What I Tell You”

Pacesetting: “Do as I Do Now”

Visionary“Come with Me”

Affiliate“People come First”

Coaching“Try This”

Democratic“What do You Think”

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Effective Leadership Development Requires…

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Figure 1

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Elements of a Supportive Environment Include

Well articulated and instantiated valuesClimate of trustEmpowermentClear & frequent communicationAccountability

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© 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  Publishing as Prentice Hall

Process & Practices

Well defined & documented activitiesPlanningBudgetingConflict resolutionService deliveryFinancial reviews

Establish job rotations & mentoring programs

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© 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  Publishing as Prentice Hall

Formal Training

Requires formal planning & a plan to follow

Internally developed or externally purchased

Requires time commitment to ensure staff can take advantage of training

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© 2012 Pearson Education, Inc.  Publishing as Prentice Hall

Conclusion

Senior IT leaders must make IT leadership development a priorityif IT is going to contribute to business strategy

Management must take comprehensive approach to integrate culture, behavior, processes & training to deliver business value

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