How CIOs Manage IT During Economic Decline: Surviving and Thriving Amid Uncertainty

Authors

Dorothy E. Leidner, Baylor UniversityFollow
Robert C. Beatty, Northern Illinois UniversityFollow
Jane M. Mackay, Texas Christian UniversityFollow

Abstract

As the prosperity of the 1990s gave way to today¡¯s economic slowdown, IT organizations had to decide how to support new application development while cutting costs. While reducing IT investments might cut costs, future growth hinges on continued IT investments. Interviews with twenty CIOs uncovered four approaches to managing IT during the current economic decline. The CIOs have either extended their IT lifecycle, bulletproofed their infrastructure, cleaned house, or maintained their legacy ¨C or moved among these approaches. Three lessons for managing IT in future business cycles from this study are: (1) disciplined IT decision-making evens out IT ups and downs, (2) regular IT strategic reviews build business-aligned portfolios, and (3) balanced IT spending yields business agility.

Recommended Citation

Leidner, Dorothy E.; Beatty, Robert C.; and Mackay, Jane M. (2008) "How CIOs Manage IT During Economic Decline: Surviving and Thriving Amid Uncertainty," MIS Quarterly Executive: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/misqe/vol2/iss1/7