An Executive Summary-Case Study on Management Styles

1. E. ReyGarcia, MPA Candidate
The Universityof TexasRioGrande Valley
9/13/2015
The Successes& Failures of a Government CIO
An Executive Summary-CaseStudy onManagementStyles

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The Successes & Failures of a Government Chief Information Officer (CIO)
An Executive Summary – Case Study on Management Styles
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Author: E. Rey Garcia, MPA Candidate
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)
September 13, 2015
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Master of Public Affairs - Administration
PAFF 6315: Management of Government Information Systems
Fall 2015, Module One
Lecturer: John Milford

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Objective
To analyze the three types of management styles of a governmental Chief Information Officer
(CIO) and the successes and failures.
Executive Summary
Government organizations whose leaders do not conform and align themselves with the needs of
the staff, constituents, and the public, loose both support and trust from the community. This can
hurt financially from an economic development point of view, because business leaders will not
do business with an organization that lacks leadership and support from the community. CIO’s
and IT leaders must wear many hats with today’s downsizing and budgetary cuts. In order for a
CIO to succeed, he or she must stay current, be an innovator, know the literature, and sell the
right idea to both the administration and the public.
The Management Styles
This study outlines four types of management styles used by both private and public sectors. This
analysis focuses primarily on the public sector and government CIO’s successes and failures.
The management styles being studied are the Commander and Controller, the Influencer, the
Analyst, and the Project Leader.

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Case Studies
Commander and Controller – The Old Model
According to Brown, Project Success and Failure and The New CIO, “Information Technology
(IT) groups (and organizations) have historically been run in the command and control mentality
with the CIO being the one that commanded IT and taking orders from the CFO, COO or CEO.
This worked well in the old days of legacy systems, centralized application and centralized
IT. Those days are leaving quickly with users quickly adopting web applications to get their jobs
done quicker.”
The Influencer – The New CIO
With today’s competing and ever-so changing technologies, the role of the CIO is to find and
maintain the right IT infrastructure (network, hardware, software, servers, computers, apps,
security, vendors, etc.) that is the best fit and is within budget of the organization. This is done
through research, planning and providing empirical data to those whose support is needed. For
example, a CIO for a local government, must have the support of the public administrator / city
manager, city council, mayor, and the community.
The Analyst – Technical / People Skills
In order for a CIO to earn both trust and credibility, he or she must submerge in the planning,
research, and technical aspects of the project or job. The CIO must regularly engage and build
lasting relationships with vendors who do business with the agency or organization. By carefully
researching and studying the methodology and data, the CIO is well-equipped to make final
recommendations to the administration, regarding what vendors are suitable, are within budget,
and what hardware and software trends are being used by other governmental entities. Once the

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support is earned and approved, a possible bidding process may take place to find the best match
for the organization.
The Project Leader
As a project leader, the CIO must have the ability to get things done effectively through others
and requires both a vision and a destination. The role of the new CIO is similar to a project
leader. One must make sure that the success of the implementation phase of the approved
project(s) is accomplished by developing and maintaining a strong and knowledgeable, well-
trained delivery team. The CIO must stay involved in the projects as much as possible without
micromanaging the team.
To Succeed or Not to Succeed
It is evident that for a government CIO to succeed, he or she must wear three types of hats, thus,
delivering three types of management styles. A successful CIO has the ability to find the right
match for the organization, both from a technical and financial point of view and to influence the
administration. The CIO must be able to have public relations with vendors and the community,
and the ability to analyze the technical aspects of the project or job. Finally, the success of a CIO
depends on his or her involvement in the project as a project leader.
CIO’s who do not have the support of the leaders and the community and who choose to delegate
to staff, rather than gain knowledge and involvement in projects, are doomed to fail. Today’s
CIO’s must continuously stay current with the latest government technologies being used by
other arms of the government. CIO’s should stay networked via social media, IT conferences,
training, teambuilding, and educating both staff and leaders on government IT findings and
adapting best practices methodology on aligning the needs of the organization with the needs of
the public.

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References
Brown, E. (2009, July 30). Project Success and Failure and The New CIO - Eric D. Brown.
Retrieved September 9, 2015, from http://ericbrown.com/project-success-and-failure-and-the-
new-cio.htm
Expert Project Management: Project Manager to Project Leader? - A Definition of Project
Leadership. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2015, from
http://www.maxwideman.com/papers/leader/definition.htm