Information Technology Competence of Business Managers: A Definition and Research Model

TLDR

IT competence of business managers is defined as the explicit and tacit knowledge that enables them to lead IT within their business area. The study aims to show that IT‑competent managers are more willing to partner with IT staff and more likely to lead or join IT projects. IT competence comprises explicit knowledge of technologies, applications, system development, and IT management, the ability to identify and leverage others’ expertise, and tacit knowledge built from personal computing experience, IT project involvement, and cognitive models of process and vision for IT.

Abstract

This research explores the concept of the information technology (IT) competence of business managers, defined as the set of IT-related explicit and tacit knowledge that a business manager possesses that enables him or her to exhibit IT leadership in his or her area of business. A manager's knowledge of technologies, applications, systems development, and management of IT form his or her explicit IT knowledge. This domain further extends to include knowing who knows what, which enables the manager to leverage the knowledge of others. Tacit IT knowledge is conceptualized as a combination of experience and cognition. Experience relates to personal computing, IT projects, and overall management of IT. Cognition refers to two mental models: the manager's process view and his or her vision for the role of IT. The outcomes expected from IT-competent business managers are chiefly two behaviors: an increased willingness to form partnerships with IT people and an increased propensity to lead and participate in IT projects.