Information technology management practices: A descriptive analysis of the challenges facing information technology managers

Abstract

The paper intended to study managerial impediments which may hinder effective managerial practices by IT managers and their co-workers. The managerial drivers included: rules, initiatives, emotions, immediate action and integrity. This paper described the drivers of managerial practices by managers in information technology departments. The findings on Perception of IT managers and administrators towards the drivers of managerial practices by IT managers put a lot of emphasis on immediate action with regards to emergencies and driver of rules ( lack of commitment) to explain the impediments faced by IT managers.

Purpose: This research sought to find out if IT managers were facing challenges resulting from administration and management practices. This research was carried out to investigate on the impediments facing IT managers. The study involved effective drivers of management adopted from Sabourin (2009) experiential leadership model, with managerial drivers of; rules, initiatives, integrity, immediate action and emotions to better identify key obstacles that face information technology managers and their management practices.

Methodology: A mixed method of qualitative (focus group discussion) and quantitative (a survey with a questionnaire) approaches was applied to this study. These involved group discussion of IT technicians and administrators in the selected organizations in a Canadian province. The total number of surveyed managers was 149.

Findings: With regards to the drivers of management practices, it was established that the driver of immediate action holds the highest consideration towards managerial practices by IT managers. This driver had, a frequency recorded 131, mean of 3.1897, median of 3.200 and standard deviation of 0.75874. The driver of rules was after analysis found to have a frequency of 132, a mean of 2.5773, median of 2.500 and standard deviation of 0.72983. The driver of emotions had a frequency of 131, mean of 2.5530, median of 2.400 and standard deviation of 0.71773. The driver of integrity had a frequency of 130, mean of 2.6969, median of 2.600 and standard deviation of 0.70603. The driver of initiatives had a frequency of 130; mean score of 2.8923, median of 2.800 and standard deviation of 0.80602. The summary of the report has been presents in table 2.

Conclusion: This study focused on the challenges experienced by IT managers and co-workers as they execute their management practices. Taken as a whole, our findings suggest that, there are some impediments associated with drivers of Emotions, immediate action, Rules and initiatives as well as integrity. Even if these obstacles are in multiple levels to develop and promote IT management practices, it is imperative to study with more depth obstacles faced by IT managers in order to better understand how the obstacles they face represent an impediment to the development of their competencies and effective performance in IT.

Keywords: Managerial drivers, managerial practices, Information technology (IT), Information management