دانلود رایگان مقاله انگلیسی توسعه رهبری موثر در فناوری اطلاعات: ایجاد رهبران تحول گر و نوظهور - امرالد 2017

Abstract

Purpose – Effective leadership has been the focus of much research in recent years, but leadership development is still understudied. Information technology (IT) continues to grow in importance due to the industries IT creates, the industries IT disrupts, and the potential IT holds for all companies. Because leadership is highly context bound, the purpose of this paper is to examine leadership development in the IT context to take first steps toward establishing best practices for IT leadership development. Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper reviews leadership in general before performing an integrated literature review of leadership as it has been studied in the IT context. Then the paper presents three propositions regarding effective IT leadership development. Findings – IT leadership development should involve formal mentoring, robust feedback that is integrated into the development plan, and should be treated as a core process for long-term success. Emergent and transformational leadership are important for IT. Practical implications – It behooves IT departments to implement the leadership development programs proposed here because leadership has been identified as one of the most difficult skills to find in IT employees. The findings can inform training professionals exploring ways to improve the leadership capacity and leadership development in the IT units of their organizations. Originality/value – The paper’s literature review uncovered no quantitative peer-reviewed research on leadership development in the IT context, suggesting an area of need for further empirical studies. Researchers and practitioners alike will benefit from a greater understanding of leadership development in IT.

Conclusion

Leadership development in IT has received very little attention in research so far, a symptom of the paucity of leadership development research in general. TL has been studied more than other leadership styles in the IT context and has shown positive follower outcomes, both with subordinates and non-IT employees undergoing change caused by IT. However, most leadership research in the IT context is cross-sectional, a major shortcoming to advance the field. The propositions included in this paper are that formal mentorship programs, robust feedback, and a long-term process view will improve leadership development program outcomes, which are consistent with Day’s (2001) conclusions. The next steps in this research vein include identifying IT units with leadership development programs and longitudinally comparing the outcomes of their programs. Furthermore, training professionals can utilize the study findings to examine if their organizations are making systematic efforts that create a leadership pipeline for their organization. Furthermore, given concerns around lack of diversity in IT sector in general and at the leadership levels in particular, such a pipeline is critical for long-term success. IT continues to increase in importance as it enables disruptive startups to enter industries, so organizations who do not exploit IT as a resource risk obsolescence. Thus, effective IT leadership is vital both for the survival and the success of the organization.