Systems Thinking Systems Thinking and IT Leadership

and IT LeadershipLeveraging scholarship for organizational success

We shouldn’t act surprised.

0No strong leadership in academic and administrative computing

0Lack of central funding for system coherence

0Uncertain role of the central computing services

0Poor performance of central services led to creation of new units

0Technicians became de facto IT policy makers

How did we get here?

0 Increasing expectations that IT will be focused on user needs

0Need to maximize use of scarce talent

0 Increasing security threats

0 Increasing regulatory compliance and reporting requirements

0 Increasing demands for IT services without new funding

Pressures on decentralized IT

Michalak, S., et al. (1999). Decentralized information technology requires central coordination!Cause/Effect, 22(4)

Dealing with the legacy of decentralization

So, why is that so hard?

0Changes in the organization of SoE0Campus Strategic IT Planning0Coordination across CIC0Competition from distance ed0Changing in teacher prep models

“As we know, there are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”

Donald Rumsfeld (2003)

Uncertainty

Problem Finders instead of Problem Solvers

Intellectual curiosity

Systemic thinking

Healthy paranoia

Categorize Problems

Roberto, 2009 & Snowden & Boone, 2007

Get Beyond Centralized-Decentralized Debate

0Focus on quality and cost. 0The right services to the right users. 0Be a trusted partner across the full

range of mission areas. 0Prior practices and historical precedent

are likely to be poor guides. 0Shared vision of desired state critical.

Katz, Wheeler, & Waggener, 2007

Effective Leadership(at all levels)

Autonomy

Mastery

Purpose

Questions?

Christopher A. Thorn

Associate Scientist

Director, WCER Technical Services

Assoc. Dir., Value-Added Research Center

Appendix

The “socio” in socio-technical

"Crowdsourcing is a natural solution to many of the problems that scientists are dealing with that involve massive amounts of data"

Haym Hirsh, NSF Director of Information and Intelligent Systems (Young, J.R. Chronicle of Higher Ed. 6/2/10)

Strategic IT Questions for SoE

0What do we spend on IT?0Can we get a sense of intensity?

0What is not getting done?0What is the entitlement by unit and role0Equal ≠ equitable

0Where does staff development fit?0How best to develop strategic

partnerships?

Identifying Contexts & Problems

Snowden & Boone, 2007

Experience & Approach

013 years leading IT/Media group0$4 mil. grants awarded ($4.6 mil. pending)0PI on media development, program

evaluation, and technical assistance grants0Experience in shared governance and IT

representation across campus and beyond0Scholarly focus on socio-technical systems0Commitment to staff development and

distributed leadership

What does systems theory provide?0Problems in complex systems cannot be

understood separately from their solutions0Doesn’t prescribe distinct interventions, but

“a package of actions consistent with the desired end-state of the system, its structural characteristics, and the values of those working within it.”0Tools to foster connections - enabling

boundary crossersStewart & Ayers, 2001 p. 88

Personal Connections

0IFIP: IT in Education Management0International links – Lyon, Durham, London0Open Journal and Public Knowledge Project0Transana – media and scholarly tools0DICE, Condor, and WID/MIR0AERA, ICPSR, CAQDAS0Evidence-based education policy work0MMSD, LEAs, SEAs, and IHE/Teacher Prep0IRB & IP – Campus and Federal Agencies

IBM Study Contrasts Roles

IBM (2009)

I-Space

OutreachAdministration

Departments

Leverage Standards for Public Sector

Rat der IT-Beauftragten. (2009)

References0 Boisot, M. (1998). Knowledge assets: Securing competitive advantage in the

information economy. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press. 0 IBM Institute for Business Value. (2009). The new voice of the CIO: Insights from

the global chief information officer study. Somers, NY: IBM. 0 Katz, R., Waggener, S., & Wheeler, B. (2007). IT Matters: Centralization or

Decentralization May Not! EDUCAUSE Review, 42(6), 24-53.0 Michalak, S. C., Facelli, J. C., & Drew, C. J. (1999). Decentralized information

technology requires central coordination! Cause/Effect, 22(4) 0 Rat der IT-Beauftragten. (2009). Konzept für SAGA 5.0. Berlin, Germany:

Bundesministerium des Innern. 0 Roberto, M. A. (2009). Know what you don't know: How great leaders prevent

problems before they happen. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Wharton School Pub. 0 Snowden, D. J., & Boone, M. E. (2007). A leader's framework for decision making.

Harvard Business Review, 85(11), 68-76. 0 Stewart, J. and Ayres, R. (2001). Systems theory and policy practice: An

exploration. Policy Sciences. 34(1), 79-94.