How Business Strategy and Technology Impact the Role and the Tasks of CIOs

Abstract

The authors investigate the determinants of CIOs' organizational role and tasks. They first review previous studies, which they classify as either evolutionary or CIO role studies. They consider them to be characteristic to the usage of certain technologies or certain periods of times. The authors modify Leavitt's well-known organization diagnostic model to describe factors that shape the role and the tasks of CIOs over time, industries and technologies. They validate the model from interviews with 36 CIOs within six industries covering the time period from 1960s to present times. The authors also show that the model can be used to categorize prior research findings. They then use the model to describe how technology influences business strategy and how business strategy and technology impacts CIOs' role and tasks and vice versa. The authors discovered that the modified Leavitt model is a useful description of factors that both define CIOs' role and tasks at any particular time in any specific organization, and show how those tasks change.

Socio-Technical Punctuated Equilibrium Model Enhanced with Social Network Theory

“…We also learned from this case and from earlier CIO studies (e.g. Dahlberg, Hokkanen & Newman, 2016;Peppard, Edwards & Lambert 2011) that CIOs are under a great deal of stress due to constant changes in their work. CIOs often work with all units and functions in an organization and encounter conflicting demands and perceptions about the role of IT in business and their work with too few tools and employees to cope with the various demands.…”

“…We selected the case company among those that had been interviewed already for another CIO study (Dahlberg, Hokkanen & Newman, 2016). From that study, we found a pair of CIOs who were parties on the opposite sides of a major M&A transaction.…”

“…In the paradigm we follow, interruptions are called punctuations (Gersick, 1991). We apply the punctuated equilibrium paradigm in the socio-technical context of CIO work (Lyytinen & Newman, 2008;Dahlberg, Hokkanen & Newman, 2016). The socio-technical punctuated equilibrium model is an episodic change model, where relatively long periods of stability are interrupted by relatively short periods of revolutionary changes (Lyytinen & Newman, 2008).…”

Research data management systems and the organization of universities and research institutes: A systematic literature review

“…Due to the component “technology,” the model was especially adopted by research about knowledge management and information systems in the previous years (e.g. Dahlberg et al, 2016; Liao and Teo, 2018; Lyytinen and Newman, 2008; Sluyts et al, 2010; Zhao and Yang, 2017). Furthermore, it was expanded and further developed in different ways (e.g.…”

“…Furthermore, it was expanded and further developed in different ways (e.g. Dahlberg et al, 2016; Rockart and Scott Morton, 1984). Although the model does not explain the particular steps for organizational change, it is useful to emphasize the complexity of a change process.…”