Policy-level Leadership and the IT Director Copyright 1991 CAUSE From _CAUSE/EFFECT_ Volume 14, Number 4, Winter 1991. Permission to copy or disseminate all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for commercial advantage, the CAUSE copyright and its dateappear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of CAUSE, the association for managing and using information resources in higher education. To disseminate otherwise, or to republish, requires written permission. For further information, contact CAUSE, 4840 Pearl East Circle, Suite 302E, Boulder, CO 80301, 303-449-4430, e-mail info@CAUSE.colorado.edu POLICY-LEVEL LEADERSHIP AND THE IT DIRECTOR by Louise S. Lee and Sharon R. Setterlind ************************************************************************ Louise S. Lee is Assistant Vice President for Business Affairs and Director of the Administrative Data Center at Barry University in Miami, Florida. Sharon R. Setterlind is Director of the Computer Center at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. ************************************************************************ As competition increases among institutions of higher education and budgets continue to be cut, the strategic use of campus information resources becomes more important than ever. It is no longer enough for information technology directors to understand technology; we must also understand the business we are in. In higher education, that means that we must identify with the mission and strategic directions of our institutions. We must be able to understand the potential of technology and translate it into policies and procedures that will carry out that institutional mission and increase the effectiveness of the institution in achieving its goals. As information technology directors, it is critical that we see the big picture without getting bogged down in details. Much discussion has arisen about the need for a "chief information officer" at a vice presidential level, consolidating the various areas of responsibility for information technology under one line manager. Reporting levels and areas of responsibility are, however, secondary issues. The real issue is the need to identify strategic directions for the use of technology, and that cannot happen unless those of us who are responsible for technology on our campuses are exercising policy-level leadership in this area. To move effectively into this level of leadership, we clearly must expand some of our professional horizons and skills: * Keeping up with technology is not enough. We must also keep up to date on what is going on in higher education in general and in our institution in particular. We may be called on to consult with faculty and administrators on technological advances in their respective disciplines and departments, so it is important that we stay abreast of the trends and regulations that affect the various campus units. * Our role as vendor liaison has always been important, but playing it well becomes even more important as reliance on vendor solutions increases and as resources dwindle. As more money is paid to vendors, the burden of responsibility placed on the IT director increases. In addition to cost considerations, the use of vendor software has necessitated all sorts of new and complex relationships between institutions and software vendors, and between the computing staff and campus users. * Interpersonal skills are even more important than technical skills. We must be able to work well with groups and get people to see things on a macro level. Teamwork is essential to accomplish institutional goals. We must be able to organize and lead internal user groups, special task forces, and policy committees, and develop strong "partnerships" with users throughout campus. We must become the ultimate institutional team player who can facilitate the conceptualization and acceptance of new ideas. * The ability to coordinate is one of the most important skills for the information technology director today. As information technology has become more decentralized, the computing staff has become smaller and new positions have been created in user offices. Information technology directors will increasingly work with staff who report to other department heads; that complicates relationships and requires more flexibility and cooperation. And no matter how decentralized computing may become, there will always be systems that cross functions and require institution-wide coordination. * Obviously good communication skills are essential. We must be able to communicate effectively with many kinds of people throughout the institution, orally and in writing, and we must be able--and willing--to listen and to understand what others are saying. Change--including technological change--does not happen easily; it is, in fact, almost impossible to achieve without an underlying formal structure to facilitate it. Executive support or sponsorship of change is essential, but as information technology directors, with our unique technical expertise and widespread institutional involvement, we have the opportunity to become innovators and agents of change. We can promote new ways of doing business throughout the institution that are enabled by information technology. We can become educators by teaching others how the new procedures will work and how the changes will effect improvements. And we can provide the training needed to translate that vision into reality. Then the strategic use of information technology can take place. ************************************************************************