Prescriptions for IT in Government: How Do We Know What Works Best?

Abstract

Information systems have become an important concern of generalist managers ingovernmental organizations and public managers need to learn how to manage IT. Forgeneralist and IT managers, the current situation creates both difficulties and possibili-ties. It is the best of times because IT has become recognized as the major vehicle forachieving innovation in public organizations. At the same time, the number and speedof new technologies in the IT area can make it difficult for even the most highly-skilledIT professional staff to keep up with innovations in the field. What is a generalist managerto do who needs to attempt to not only comprehend, but manage these IT innovations?The situation facing these administrators (and IT staff themselves) is the sense of beingon a “moving staircase” (Farbey, Land & Targett, 1999). The problem is that thesemanagers must find a method for making rational choices in a field that changes soquickly.