Glenn Stewart

Industry‐oriented design of ERP‐related curriculum – an Australian initiative

This paper discusses the design of a problem‐based learning approach that seeks to embed industrial knowledge in the enterprise resource planning (ERP)‐related curriculum of universities. It describes a project that is developing a business reference model for public administration. This reference model is to be implemented in the leading ERP system SAP R/3. Teaching cases are developed through collaboration between universities and industry. The paper argues that this approach is in alignment with the recommendations of key curriculum documents and educational approaches.

Emancipating IT leadership : an action research program

Abstract Leadership of the IT unit appears to be a critical success factor in aligning business and information technology activities and thereby achieving significant benefit through the strategic deployment of IT. Yet few formal, empirical studies have examined leadership practices of IT mangers. In collaboration with our Industry-Partner, we embarked on a three- year action research project to improve the leadership practices of IT managers in a large public sector agency. Along the way, we stimulated a desire to foster a leadership culture among the IT managers and executives, and gained their emotional commitment to the program of change. Herein we describe our methodology of participative and emancipatory action research.

Enterprise Business Technology Governance: Three Competencies to Build Board Digital Leadership Capability

The competent leadership of digital transformation needs to involve the board of directors. The reported lack of such capability in boards is becoming a pressing issue. A part of leadership in such transformation is the board of directors competence to lead Enterprise Business Technology Governance (EBTG). In this paper we take the position that EBTG competencies are essential in boards, because competent EBTG has been shown to contribute to increased revenue, profit, and returns. We update and expand on the results of a multi-method approach to the development of a set of three board of director competencies needed for effective EBTG.

What does ‘leadership’ entail in public sector BPM initiatives of developing nations: Insights from an interpretative case study from Sri Lanka

Business Process Management (BPM) is recognized as a holistic approach aimed at achieving organization-wide higher performance by optimizing business processes. While Leadership has constantly been recognized as one of the critical success factors of BPM initiatives globally, the nature and characteristics of leadership within BPM contexts is an under-researched area. Related research pertaining to the developing country context is very scarce. The organizational and cultural factors of developing countries are quite distinct compared to the developed world. The success of BPM depends on a number of socio-technical factors, leadership being one of them. The nature of leadership in complex socio-culture, socio-political, and socio-technical contexts requires a deeper understanding of these factors, and the nature and role of leadership in approaches like BPM need further investigation. The goal of the single case study reported herein was to develop a deeper understanding of ‘leadership’ in the context of ICT driven BPM initiatives in one of the Sri Lankan Government agencies: Department of Motor Transport (DMT-SL). An exploratory case study approach was used for this research where data was collected through in-depth interviews and secondary documents. The qualitative data analysis was supported by the use of NVivo. Insights from the data were used to formulate twelve (12) core leadership actions in public sector organizations in Sri Lanka that can influence BPM initiatives.

Strategy taxonomy and classification system development - Study of two state governments

There is limited understanding about business strategies related to parliamentary governments departments. This study focuses on the strategies of departments of two state governments in Australia. The strategies are derived from department strategic plans available in public domain and collected from respective websites. The results of this research indicate that strategies fall into seven categories: internal, development, political, partnership, environment, reorientation and status quo. The strategies of the departments are mainly internal or development where development strategy is mainly the focus of departments such as transport, and infrastructure. Political strategy is prevalent for departments related to communities, and education and training. Further three layers of strategies are identified as kernel, cluster and individual, which are mapped to the developed taxonomy.

Aligning library and university strategic directions: A constructivist grounded theory study of academic library leadership in Australia and the U.S.A.

Abstract This article presents a substantive grounded theory that shows how senior library leaders can achieve the library’s strategic alignment with the university. The theory suggests that increasing uncertainty causes the library’s leadership to consider how the library’s strategic contributions can support the university’s core priorities while also promoting the library’s value and impact. The library’s senior leaders must be creative thinkers who are also focused upon their stakeholders. Value-adding strategies include refreshing core library functions and supporting university strategies such as engagement, teaching and learning, and research. The library’s strategic planning involves basing the library strategic plan on the university plan, allowing time for it to be implemented, and informing the university of the library’s progress. This research is the first to explore the processes senior library leaders can undertake to strategically align the library with the university, while also demonstrating its value and impact to university executive administrators.

Strategy taxonomy and classification system development using content analysis: study of government agencies

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to address the lack of consistent means through which strategies are identified and discussed across theoretical perspectives in the field of business strategy. A standardised referencing system is offered to codify the means by which strategies can be identified, from which new business services and information systems may be derived. This taxonomy was developed using qualitative content analysis study of government agencies’ strategic plans. This paper has provided the foundations for building a system for classifying business strategies by specifying the contents and spread that must be considered in developing such a system. Key benefits to academics are the improved dialogue in strategic management field and suggest that progress in the field requires that fundamentals of strategy formulation and classification be considered more carefully. The formalisation of strategy can lead to the clear identification of new business services, which inform ICT investment decisions and shared service prioritisation.