1. Systems Th
inking
and IT Lead
e rs h i p
Leveraging
scholarship
organizatio f or
nal success

2. How did we get here?
0 No strong leadership in
academic and administrative
computing
0 Lack of central funding for
system coherence
0 Uncertain role of the central
computing services
0 Poor performance of central
services led to creation of We shouldn’t
new units act surprised.
0 Technicians became de facto
IT policy makers

3. Pressures on decentralized IT
0 Increasing expectations
that IT will be focused on
user needs
0 Need 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

4. Dealing with the legacy
of decentralization
Michalak, S., et al. (1999).
Decentralized information technology
requires central coordination!
Cause/Effect, 22(4)

5. So, why is that so hard?
0Changes in the organization of SoE
0Campus Strategic IT Planning
0Coordination across CIC
0Competition from distance ed
0Changing in teacher prep models

6. “As we know, there are known
knowns. There are things we know
we know. We also know there are
Uncertainty
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)

7. Problem Finders
instead of Problem Solvers
Intellectual curiosity
Systemic thinking
Healthy paranoia
Categorize Problems
Roberto, 2009 & Snowden & Boone, 2007

8. 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

9. Effective Leadership
(at all levels)
Autonomy
Mastery
Purpose

10. Questions?
Christopher A. Thorn
Associate Scientist
Director, WCER Technical Services
Assoc. Dir., Value-Added Research Center

11. Appendix

12. 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)

13. Strategic IT Questions for SoE
0 What do we spend on IT?
0 Can we get a sense of intensity?
0 What is not getting done?
0 What is the entitlement by unit and role
0 Equal ≠ equitable
0 Where does staff development fit?
0 How best to develop strategic
partnerships?

14. Identifying Contexts & Problems
Snowden & Boone, 2007

15. Experience & Approach
0 13 years leading IT/Media group
0 $4 mil. grants awarded ($4.6 mil. pending)
0 PI on media development, program
evaluation, and technical assistance grants
0 Experience in shared governance and IT
representation across campus and beyond
0 Scholarly focus on socio-technical systems
0 Commitment to staff development and
distributed leadership

16. What does systems theory provide?
0 Problems in complex systems cannot be
understood separately from their solutions
0 Doesn’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.”
0 Tools to foster connections - enabling
boundary crossers
Stewart & Ayers, 2001 p. 88

17. Personal Connections
0 IFIP: IT in Education Management
0 International links – Lyon, Durham, London
0 Open Journal and Public Knowledge Project
0 Transana – media and scholarly tools
0 DICE, Condor, and WID/MIR
0 AERA, ICPSR, CAQDAS
0 Evidence-based education policy work
0 MMSD, LEAs, SEAs, and IHE/Teacher Prep
0 IRB & IP – Campus and Federal Agencies

18. IBM Study Contrasts Roles
IBM (2009)

19. I-Space
Outreach
Administration
Departments

20. Leverage Standards for Public Sector
Rat der IT-Beauftragten. (2009)

21. References
0 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.