Organizational Culture

This 2008 ECAR research study builds upon the work done in 2004 by ECAR in its original study of information technology leadership. The 2008 study addresses the following questions:

·         How significant a transition in leadership positions are we likely to see in the next few years?

·         How confident are IT leaders in their skills, and how effective are their leadership styles?

·         How is the position of IT leader viewed by those who might aspire to it?

·         Is higher education doing all it can to foster a strong pipeline of future leaders?

·         Do changes in the generational composition of the IT workforce present new challenges for leaders?

·         How concerned are IT leaders with the prospect of a future shortage of skilled IT workers?

This 2008 ECAR research study builds upon the work done in 2004 by ECAR in its original study of information technology leadership. The 2008 study addresses the following questions:

·         How significant a transition in leadership positions are we likely to see in the next few years?

·         How confident are IT leaders in their skills, and how effective are their leadership styles?

·         How is the position of IT leader viewed by those who might aspire to it?

·         Is higher education doing all it can to foster a strong pipeline of future leaders?

·         Do changes in the generational composition of the IT workforce present new challenges for leaders?

·         How concerned are IT leaders with the prospect of a future shortage of skilled IT workers?

This document presents the key findings of the ECAR study, Leading the IT Workforce in Higher Education, by Philip J. Goldstein. The study builds upon the ECAR work done in 2004 in its original study of information technology leadership. The 2008 study addresses the following questions:

·         How significant a transition in leadership positions are we likely to see in the next few years?

·         How confident are IT leaders in their skills, and how effective are their leadership styles?

·         How is the position of IT leader viewed by those who might aspire to it?

·         Is higher education doing all it can to foster a strong pipeline of future leaders?

·         Do changes in the generational composition of the IT workforce present new challenges for leaders?

·         How concerned are IT leaders with the prospect of a future shortage of skilled IT workers?

This ECAR roadmap synthesizes the important issues and recommended actions drawn from the 2008 ECAR research study, Leading the IT Workforce in Higher Education, by Philip J. Goldstein. The study builds upon the ECAR work done in 2004 in its original study of information technology leadership. The 2008 study addresses the following questions:

·         How significant a transition in leadership positions are we likely to see in the next few years?

·         How confident are IT leaders in their skills, and how effective are their leadership styles?

·         How is the position of IT leader viewed by those who might aspire to it?

·         Is higher education doing all it can to foster a strong pipeline of future leaders?

·         Do changes in the generational composition of the IT workforce present new challenges for leaders?

·         How concerned are IT leaders with the prospect of a future shortage of skilled IT workers?

This ECAR case study complements the 2008 ECAR study by Philip J. Goldstein, Leading the IT Workforce in Higher Education. Views of the Top: Rising IT Leaders Discuss the CIO Position in Higher Education looks at the role of higher education’s CIOs from the perspective of 13 rising IT leaders. As part of its broad research of IT leadership in higher education, the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research organized two focus groups of mid-career IT executives to discuss the role of the CIO in higher education, to gain insights into the factors that drive individuals to aspire to the CIO role, and to evaluate how well higher education prepares its future leaders. This case study reports the results of those important discussions.

Citation for this work: Goldstein, Philip J., and Judith A. Pirani. “Views of the Top: Rising IT Leaders Discuss the CIO Position in Higher Education” (Case Study 5). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

This ECAR research bulletin provides an overview of project management offices in higher education in terms of the motivation for establishing one, the problems they are designed to solve, their organizational structure and services, where they report, and lessons learned from the experiences of five institutions of higher education: Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, and Syracuse University.

Citation for this work: Clark, Andrew J. "Nurturing Project Management in Higher Education IT" (Research Bulletin, Issue 16). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Using a collaborative model for developing IT projects delivered high-quality results with collateral benefits to the organization .

This session will address the efforts of the USC's Division of Information Technology to better position the organization to meet significant IT and business challenges, including system-wide implementation of the OneCarolina ERP initiative and recent reorganization of nontraditional IT services (media production and delivery) with a more traditional IT organization, as well as the ongoing challenge of recruiting, developing, and retaining a skilled workforce within a highly competitive labor market.

This ECAR case study complements the 2008 ECAR study by Philip J. Goldstein, Leading the IT Workforce in Higher Education. Developing the IT Workforce at the University of South Australia describes both the commitment of the University of South Australia (UniSA) to its workforce and the information technology organization’s successful effort to create and foster a high-performing IT team. Since its formation in 1991, UniSA faced exceptionally stiff challenges in transforming itself from a technical institute and college of advanced education into a comprehensive research-oriented university. This evolution brought with it workforce misalignments in both the academic and professional staff. With its longstanding and explicit commitment to equity and a great deal of foresight, UniSA’s leaders have established the institution’s reputation as an employer committed to the well-being of academic and professional staff even in the face of major competition in the turbulent financial environment and the local employment market.