Why informal information technology management models do not work

ABSTRACT

Thirty years ago, very few universities had information technology departments. The university personnel who worked with computer technology usually had backgrounds in mathematics or engineering. Technology management was an alien concept. This worked fine for that era because there was very little technology to manage and therefore, very few Information Technology personnel to manage. As the discipline matured, the need for management increased. Since management was not the first love of most of the mathematicians and engineers running the Information Technology departments, informal, poorly thought out, management structures arose. Some of these unworkable models still exist within university Information Technology departments today.

REFERENCES

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INDEX TERMS

General Terms:
Management, Performance

Keywords:
algorithmic policy, client expectations, client relations, client services management, customer satisfaction, formal structure, heuristic policy, informal structure, information technology employee retention, information technology support models, support posture, support services