Decison-Making and Informative Politics Technology Related Decision

Decison-Making and Informative Politics

Technology Related Decision Making in Organizations:

The University of Cincinnati as an Institutional Example

The implementation of any new technology within an organization forces change on many levels. While technological changes are made within an organization to enhance that organization's core work functions, related policies, administrative functions, and these changes essentially trickle-down in a way that leaves the entire organization affected in the end. For any organization, new technology means new training, as any new technological additions cannot perform to their full advantage without the proficient skill-set of that organization's members. In researching the IT governance structure, it is most beneficial to cite a distinct example of an organization in which this structure is consistently used, evaluated and adjusted. In viewing the IT governance structure present in the University of Cincinnati, and in viewing the accompanying research present on the topic, one can more easily pinpoint the University's strengths, weaknesses, organizational circumstances, as well as proposed improvements, which provide an over-arching glimpse at the topic at work.

University of Cincinnati IT Governance Structure

In a large, decentralized research institution, such as the University of Cincinnati, alignment is essentially a hard goal to achieve. Individual colleges frequently operate as independent entities, creating distinct organizational cultures and managing many academic, research, and administrative activities locally; yet one increasingly common thread runs through diverse collegial and institutional activities, and this thread is information technology (Educase, 2004, pp.1). Different than corporate governance which involves the set of processes, customs, policies, laws, management practices and institutions affecting the was an entity is controlled and managed, IT governance focuses specifically on information technology systems, as well as their performance and risk management in an effort to assure that investments in IT generate business value (Boyd, Briseboid and Shadid, 2012, pp. 31). In a university setting, one can see how this type of IT business can make or break an institution financially, and as such, IT dealings and overall governance must be handled carefully and with great skill.

Through its governance structure, UC's IT organization has become a cohesive element in a diverse research university consisting of 17 two and four-year colleges; four working committees representing academic, administrative, and infrastructural IT interests, revolve around an executive IT steering committee; and committee participation creates a structured opportunity for all the different constituents involved to discuss institutional concerns and become part of the decision-making process (Educase, 2004, pp. 2-3). As seen, such a large job takes significant efforts in many areas, and as such weighty investments are made in the realm of IT, having a standard of governance that is bridged between different areas of an organization allows decision making to trickle down from the top in a manner that permeates an entire institution through the passing of knowledge.

Decision Marking Processes

Such a network of IT governance allows an organization's decision making process to be more complicated, especially at a larger scale, than these types of decisions would be on a smaller level. However, decision making that involves many facets of an organization, while complex, is necessary for success. Research has found that the most effective governance takes a good deal of the IT leader's time (Hughes, 2003, pp.3). While a leader or leadership team must be developed to decide on which IT roads to travel down in terms of an organization, these individuals seldom have the time or the energy to complete the entirety of the process while handling their respective duties. As such, larger networks of user groups are implemented to prioritize the spending and handling of new projects. Additionally, in a university setting, any undertaking dealing with money and budgeting must be run through a series of channels to get the okay and eventually be implemented in the IT realm.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Present Circumstances

In a university setting, one of the most convenient aspects of IT structure and governance comes in any given university's often extensive and specialized IT departments, that come equipped with the standards of new IT development and the know-how of a trained staff. Much like the University of South Florida, which implements its own Office of Information Technology that supports the university through customer service that includes collecting, storing, processing, and distributing information, The University of Cincinnati maintains the same type of support department (UFC, 2011, pp.2). Such manpower and technological support can prove extremely beneficial to any organization that has the opportunity to employ such a staff, as any technological issue that an organization may run into within its IT has the capacity to be handled completely in-house.

However, with the size and strength of an organization in terms of having its own IT department allows an organization to be completely self-sufficient, the size and status of an organization can also prove to be its biggest weakness in the ream of IT structural governance. For example, researcher Russ Finney notes that information in itself is political. "Controlling information can be power," he notes; "Careers can be significantly impacted based on the perception of date results. People earn a living by simply being data collectors" (Finney, 1999, pp.1). With such a large organization and such complex networking in terms of decision-making, the capacity for information to be altered throughout its transition from the top to the bottom tier of individuals involved with IT and the decisions made within an organization is extremely high. As such, certain oversight must be conducted within organizations to ensure that information regarding IT and business transactions within an organizations travel unaltered throughout the chain of command.