IT chiefs pushed into poor choices

Many IT managers say sound technology decisions play second fiddle to business politics

Many UK IT managers are confident in their ability to make good decisions, but often feel they are forced into poor ones due to pressures from the rest of the business. That is the finding of a report published this month by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), which says IT managers could reduce pressure on themselves by improving their communication skills and investing in management training.

The CMI’s survey of just under 100 IT managers found 80 percent were confident in their decision-making abilities, but half had made a decision against their better judgement in the past six months.

Of those who admitted to poor decisions, a quarter blamed pressure from colleagues, 21 percent said they were not given enough time and 31 percent said they lacked necessary resources. A further 17 percent blamed bureaucracy for poor decisions.

Ben Booth, chairman of the Effective Leadership in IT (Elite) group at trade body the British Computer Society (BCS), said some business executives’ failure to understand IT issues means that IT managers may have expedient, but potentially damaging decisions forced upon them.

It is not always possible to resist such pressure, Booth said, arguing that IT managers should therefore try to build better relationships with business managers to ensure they are consulted earlier in the decision-making process.

“If you want to avoid being forced into bad decisions you need to make sure the IT department is not a separate body [within the business],” Booth advised. “If you build better relationships you can advise on the best decision.”

Strong communication skills are essential if IT managers are to make a good case for their arguments, according to Mike Petrook of the CMI. “IT managers need to move further away from technology jargon towards laymen terms [when discussing decisions with colleagues],” he said.

Petrook added that IT managers could also reduce pressure on themselves by negotiating more generous deadlines and undertaking more training. “Over half of respondents said training improved their decision-making, so enrolling on presentation and time management courses brings benefits.”

The CMI has also launched a new web site featuring checklists and best-practice guidance to support managers’ decision-making.