Christine V. Bullen

Future role of the information systems executive

In November 1981, the Society for Management Informatoin Systems (SMIS) Executive Council voted to begin a research project to define a model of the information systems executive of the 1980s. The purpose of the model would be to help SMIS take a proactive role with respect to membership professional development, and provide conferences, speakers, articles and future research consistent with the directions defined by the model. Richard G. H. Harris, Vice President of Information Systems at Colonial Gas and Energy and a member of the SMIS Executive Council, and Leslie D. Ball, Associate Professor of Information Systems at Babson College, agreed to lead the research effort. In addition, John F. Rockart and Christine V. Bullen of the MIT Sloan School Center for Information Systems Research and Leo Pipino of Babson College joined the team. The work was begun with the Executive Council approval in November 1981 and was completed in August 1982.

Learning from user experience with groupware

Observers have identified a potential for major improvements in organizational productivity made possible through the use of personal computers serving as a means to link people into task-oriented teams. Our study offers an examination of how people are using personal computers for such electronic exchanges via networking. We interviewed 223 people who were using several “groupware” systems in a sample of 25 enterprises to see how they employ these software tools to support their group work. An explanation of our research design and a more complete discussion of the results can be found in Bullen and Bennett [BulNO].

IT Workforce Trends: Implications For IS Programs

Findings in an IT workforce study support the emphasis of business content espoused by IS curriculum guidelines. Business domain and project management skills are critical to keep in house while technical skills were cited as the top skills sourced. Paradoxically, technical skills are those cited for entry-level positions. We discuss the issues raised by these findings and recommend several approaches for IS programs to consider. IS programs must offer a functionally integrated curriculum and deliver it in an experiential business context. We provide several examples of innovative pedagogical approaches and industry alliances which demonstrate mechanisms to provide students with a stronger business orientation in applying IT. We recommend a more proactive approach to enrollment including better promotion of IS programs.

IT Workforce Trends: Implications for Curriculum and Hiring

140, January 2009 A panel on workforce trends in the information technology industry was held at the AMCIS meeting in Toronto, Canada, in August 2008. Panelists discussed a continuing research project about the current state of the IT workforce and future trends, sponsored by the Society for Information Management (SIM). The initial phase was a study of workforce trends in IT client companies, completed in 2006. Results from phase one revealed a shift in the mission of the information system function from delivering technology-based solutions to

Changing IT skills: The Impact of Sourcing Strategies on In-House Capability Requirements

The increasingly global sourcing of IT work and other socio-economic trends are prompting fundamental changes in the availability of IT skills needed in both client and vendor organizations. This article analyzes the results of a survey conducted in 2005, in which IT executives were asked to describe the skills they felt were critical to keep in house now and in 2008. The top ten current skills included three in project management, five in business domain and three in technical. In 2008, the top five emerging skills are almost all business domain while the top five exiting skills are all technical. Our findings indicate that the critical skills to keep in-house are primarily client-facing skills, even when they are technical. Findings indicate that IT professionals need to have a balance that demonstrates a foundation in the traditional “hard skills†and experience with “softer†business-oriented skills.

REEXAMINING PRODUCTIVITY CSFs The Knowledge Worker Challenge

Boosting productivity is a goal shared by managers everywhere, but the path to increased productivity is not always clear. A critical success factors method can help refocus priorities for individual managers, their organizations, and their information technology group.