“Creating a Realistic Vision”Southeast EDUCAUSE 2002

June 18, 2002 10:30amJames PenrodVPIS & CIOThe University of Memphis

Copyright James Penrod, 2002. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

Hawkins, Rudy, & Wallace,Technology Everywhere, John Wiley & Sons,

2002, p.130-131.

One of the fundamental responsibilities incumbent on a CIO,… or other administrator charged with institutional IT leadership is the ability to articulate a vision clearly. With the rapid changes in higher education, most of which are driven by information technology, it is important to provide a sense of what the future might look like and how it will affect the operations and functions within the academy. … Warren Bennis (1989) describes the greatest obstacle to leadership as “being consumed by the routine.” It is precisely this routine that cannot and should not dominate discussion of technological change at the college or university. Rather, these conversations need to be shaped and facilitated by someone who can talk about the vision for the institution and its mission, not just technological innovations per se. … The vision is based on what we can achieve, rather than what I can accomplish.

The Challenge

A critical aspect of IT leadership is the development of a shared vision of the institution that will move it to a different level. This requires:

A deep understanding of the balance & alignment between university will, existing resources, and IT initiatives needed to accomplish campus goals.

Having insight into institutional climate, culture, and assignable resources.

Being at a cabinet level as CIO.

Developing the IT Planning Process

1. Define an IT decision-making process1. Create policy &

advisory groups2. Role definitions of

various players2. In Plan-to-Plan define

various responsibilities1. CIO & central IT unit2. Policy & advisory

groups3. Other campus IT units4. Schools & colleges

3. Visit all major academic & administrative units

4. If possible require other unit IT plans & include within overall IT institutional plan

5. Have the draft of the IT plan reviewed by as many as possible

6. After reviews & revisions seek formal approval of the IT plan

7. It is a continuous process

Vision, Mission, Goals, Objectives & Futures Scenario Vision=an idealized

statement of philosophy of operation

Mission=the fundamental purpose of the IT unit, service mix, service area, and comparative advantage

Goals=3 to 5 year broad based desired accomplishments

Objectives=desired budget cycle measurable accomplishments

Scenario=where the institution wants to be with IT at the end of the 3 to 5 year period

An IT Planning and Management Model

Planning to Plan Define Institutional Strategy Align Organizational Influence

Systems Create Needed Competencies and

Behaviors Develop & Implement Action Plans Evaluate & Assess Outcomes

Resulting Crucial Elements Values statements Strengths and

weaknesses Opportunities and

threats Extended mission Strategies, goals

and objectives

Futures scenario The set of metrics The IT Plan The annual report Minutes from the

policy and advisory groups

Relationships and buy-in

The CIO in Higher Education

The CIO has two distinct roles within two different organizational units. The CIO is both the leader of the information systems organization and a member of the CEO’s executive management team. [CIO's] communicate executive management’s strategies, views, and concerns to the IS organization, and they communicate the IS department’s issues, directions, and capabilities to executive management….These roles are extremely important but they will never make the CIO a true member of the executive management team. To be accepted…the CIO must be a full-spectrum contributor to the development and management of business strategies and directions rather than a niche player in the limited band of IT. He or she must participate in, and sometimes lead, discussions on general issues facing the college or university.

Zastrocky & Schiller, EDUCAUSE QUARTERLY, #1, 2000

The Individual as Agent of Organizational Learning

Proactive but reflective High aspirations but realistic about

limitations Critical but committed Independent but very cooperative

with others

Friedman, CA Management Review,Vol.44, #2, Winter 2002

A Strategically Aligned Organization Empower people close to

the issues to make tactical decisions

Enhance ability to make timely decisions

Increase chances of the right decision for specific situations based on the best available information

Define clear decision boundaries & constraints

Limit second guessing Fewer decisions require

senior management involvement

Lay out coordination processes to facilitate joint decisions

Align responsibility and accountability to drive a self correcting system

Assign clear contribution responsibility to frontline managers

Encourage trade-off decisions based on selective contribution impact

Align measures & incentives with key success factors

Incentives open ended where possible

Rosenbleeth, et al, Capturing Value Through Customer Strategy, Booz, Allen, Hamilton, 2002

ResultsFY’96 FY’99 FY’02

% objectives completed

>90% >97% ~98%

# of labs & smart rooms

14 42 80

# of central servers

32 45 70

Data Drops 1300 4286 9800

Total IS Budget

$6.433M $10.123M $14.650M

The University of Memphis must develop an IT infrastructure and support services designed for the 21st century. Thus the ultimate goal is to establish an environment that will place the knowledge worker - student, faculty member or staff member - at the center of his or her information resources universe with appropriate training to use the infrastructure effectively. A high capability workstation linked electronically will provide individual computing power and access to data, images, reference materials, and summary information - that which is needed to enable the individual to perform the specified academic or administrative functions for which the use of information technology was initially sought.

FY’03 U of M IT Target Environment

Critical Success Factors Consistent vision &

focus from senior leadership

Alignment of university-wide IT staff

The collaboration of university departments and recognition of their interdependence

Campus-wide understanding of higher educational trends

Continual IT plan cultivation & support

Maintenance of the decision-making structure

Linkage of IT Plan to IT budget allocation across the campus

Continual staff development

Constant feedback Sufficient financial &

space resources

John Bryson, the author of Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations, states that typically, a vision is "more important as a guide to implementing strategy than it is to formulating it." This is because the development of strategy is driven by what you are trying to accomplish, your organization's purposes. A mission statement answers the questions: Why does our organization exist? What business are we in? What values will guide us? A vision, however, is more encompassing. It answers the question, "What will success look like?" It is the pursuit of this image of success that really motivates people to work together.

A vision statement should be realistic and credible, well articulated and easily understood, appropriate, ambitious, and responsive to change. It should orient the group's energies and serve as a guide to action. It should be consistent with the organization's values. In short, a vision should challenge and inspire the group to achieve its mission.

Alliance for Nonprofit Management

http://www.allianceonline.org/faqs.html