Or… how to avoid being downsized in the 21st century
Blaize Horner Reich, SFU, Canada
Strategic Role for IS Departments in Business
Schools
What’s the Problem? • Declining enrolments leading to
– Loss of status for IS unit – Loss of control over courses and curriculum– Need to teach other disciplinary courses – Tenure denials, shrinking units, merged units,
elimination of IS unit.
• Externally – Students not ready for a tech-heavy world – Business innovation and competitiveness
declines
Solutions SFU has tried • Innovating in curriculum
• Early courses in emerging topics – BPR, Internet, computer based decision making
• Innovating with technology– E.g. deep IS website from 1997 – first in Faculty
• Using Web 2.0 tools to advertise– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UhR0tGbsPo– Speaking to students with their own media
Solutions partially implemented
• Partnering with other disciplines– Creating multi-disciplinary pgms to become integral – e.g. web marketing, IS audit, social networking with
HR
• Partnering with external agencies– To give students external credentials
» e.g. PMI, IIBA, SAP, CIOsetc
• Supporting U-level IT initiatives – Steering committees for IT implementation and
strategy
What’s Wrong? • Acting like “techies”
• Didn’t mentor, promote… just did
• Not stepping up to the tough jobs• CIO in the Faculty, leadership at the U level
• Lacking leadership in the community• “think tanks” on IT, innovation
We aren’t prepared or willing to act politically
What’s Possible? • CTO role in the faculty
– Helping make IT strategic for the faculty, University
• Chief Innovator role – The “go to” people to develop new courses,
programs
• Wide view of IT – As project, process leaders as well as IS – Deep connection with CIO, PMO, BPO units