Competencies in Information Technology Management - Essay Example

?Running Head: COMPETENCIES IN IFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT Computer Sciences and Information Technology of Technical Competencies for an IT Management Environment A number of competency models have been established for use in the management of Information Technology environments in organisations. The main function of these technical competency models in IT is to assist the stakeholders in the development and the sharpening of the necessary and applicable technological competencies for the various positions and duties in an IT environment. In fact, every position and job in an IT environment has its specific and unique technical requirements and competencies. Despite the fact that most of the competencies required in IT environments are similar, they vary in a number of ways, albeit marginally. There are therefore, certain definitions and key behaviours and skills associated with each competency, for clarity purposes (Salvendy & Smith, 2009). The behaviors in this regard are the unique and observable actions by which one demonstrates his/her competency. Although there is a variety of models for IT technical competency, there is a general consensus on the stages that one need to follow while evaluating the necessary competency for a given IT management environment or position. First, it is important that an individual identifies the technical competencies applicable for the various IT management functions such as data management, emerging technology, information security, information technology service operations and network and telecommunications technology competencies. The IT management competencies one should have include dependability, ethics, motivation, professionalism, time management, technical skills, teamwork and adaptability (Salvendy & Smith, 2009). It is also important that an individual or an organisation identifies the non-technical competencies applicable in IT management environments to help supplement the technical competencies. These competencies include communication, collaboration, advisory assistance, data gathering/analysis, professional integrity and planning and prioritization among both IT developers and users. Developers and Users Most stakeholders concur on that a lot of controversies surround the subject of IT developers and end-users. Just like any other developers, IT developers’ objective is often to produce the best and most applicable technologies and gadgets. They have consequently created rather sophisticated technologies that require a lot of technical knowledge to understand, operate and maintain. It is at this juncture that the end-user-developer knowledge problems begin. That is, while developers are focused on developing the most sophisticated technologies, end-users want technologies that are easy to operate and make their lives easier. However, appropriately or extremely technically knowledgeable audiences are well placed to handle complex information technologies. Developers thus require building IT technologies and systems that help end-users to solve real life/situational problems rather than being just sophisticated and fashionable. In other words, Information Technologies should not only do things that the developers are interested in but should also avoid any unnecessary appliances or options that do not serve the interest of end-users (Watson, 2005). User-testing is one of the approaches used by developers to assess the usefulness of technologies, more so among persons not involved in IT technology projects. These people are then exposed to the gadget in question and their response to the serviceability and the goal-oriented nature of the gadget assessed. Importantly, there is need to promote effective communication between IT developers and end-users as this practice would help bridge the knowledge gap between them. By extension, end-users would be better placed to use IT and other technologies maximally if they are trained or educated on the said technology (Watson, 2005). There are several ways in which an IT department may improve education, training and communication in an organisation. First, communication channels and strategies should be as simple as possible, with the same elements/words used to communicate with same audience on similar subjects. Importantly, communications should be short, concise and clear to the point. There should also be sincerity and honesty in organisational communication. Training Data End-Users It would be an exercise in futility to establish sound IT systems and management practices in an organisation while the end-users of such systems and data are not well trained to handle and utilize such data. It is thus imperative that an organisation strategises to train the end-users of its data so that the best benefits are reaped from the organisation’s data. Among the benefits of training data end-users is the improvement of information security, compliance with regulations and increased returns on IT investments. In addition, training ensures that data end-users do not access or use classified or restricted information. Training also helps an organisation to deal with end-user technology backlash besides allowing organisations and management to rethink their relationships with data end-users (Schwalbe, 2009). It is often normal for IT departments and managers blame data end-users whenever there are problems or hitches with both new and old IT systems. However, it is important that IT departments do not point fingers at data end-users and scrutinize their role in training and giving expert advice to data end-users. Although there are a lot of ambivalence concerning the connectivity between data end-user training and IT management, most emphasis is laid on the role of training in assisting end-users to be comfortable and productive while using information technology systems (EMC Education Services, 2009). Good IT training thus serves as a tool for establishing competitive advantage for organisations. End-user training could be implemented as either a requisite value-added service or as an optional value-added service. Regardless of the use, there are certain principles upon which data end-user training should be established. First, the training should be planned upfront, more so regarding budget scrutiny and the total training cost in terms of resources such as money and time. Training planning also entails forecasting for the future IT training requirements as end-users need to acquire more sophisticated skills for IT functions (Turban & Volonino, 2011). Any changing organisational and staff situations and processes would also imply the need to change IT training curricula. Skills in Managing Databases There are certain skills that are important in the management of databases and IT systems in organisations. Among the core skills needed for database management include skills at looking and analysing data, data navigation skills, data integrity and account and file management competencies. Data analysis skills would be important in the effective use of data such as lists, summaries, patterns, results and presentations in the improvement of an organisation’s programs. In this regard, data users should be conversant and familiar with the data at their disposal as well as the goals of the programs to which each data/information should be placed. Importantly, those handling data should be well versed with the needs of the audiences and clients addressed (Keith, 2007). Therefore, the diverse nature of client needs would imply that data users explore the various and latest creative approaches to data use. The second skill in data management is data navigation skills, useful in the tracing of records, data sorting, reviewing, edition and printing among other functions and features of data systems. Data integrity, the other skill for data management would require one to effectively develop clear communication channels, define and understand programmes and guidelines on data sources and confidentiality (Keith, 2007). Data integrity also refers to the reviewing of data for accuracy and looking out for any weaknesses in data and data systems. Finally, it is essential that data managers and other users know how to plan and manage data accounts and files, thus helping other users to store, use and track information (Keith, 2007). Conclusion The role of IT in the modern business and non-business organisation cannot be overemphasized. The central role of IT makes its necessary that data end-users are trained and educated on the various aspects of IT so that they know how to access, analyze and store data after use. Therefore, IT training imparts the necessary data management skills in end-users in addition to bridging the knowledge gap between IT developers and data end-users. References EMC Education Services (2009). Information storage and management: storing, managing, and protecting digital information, first edition. Wiley. Keith, G. (2007). Principles of data management - facilitating information sharing. British Informatics Society Ltd. Salvendy, G., and Smith, M. J. (2009). Human interface and the management of information. Information and interaction: symposium on human interface 2009, held as part of HCI international, first edition. Springer. Schwalbe, K. (2009). Information technology project management (with Microsoft project 2007, sixth edition. Course Technology. Turban, E., and Volonino, L. (2011). Information technology for management: improving strategic and operational performance, eighth edition. Wiley. Watson, R. T. (2005). Data management: databases & organizations, fifth edition. Wiley. Read More