Journal of Management Information Systems

Volume 10 Number 2 1993 pp. 107-130

The Chief Information Officer: A Study of Managerial Roles

Grover, Varun, Seung Ryul, Jeong, Kettinger, William J, and Lee, Choong C

ABSTRACT: This study investigates the managerial roles of the chief information officer (CIO) based on Mintzberg's classic managerial role model. Our findings indicate that CIOs differ from manufacturing and sales executives in the relative importance they place on managerial roles. This difference does not exist between CIOs and finance executives or between CIOs and information systems (IS) middle managers. As IS management matures, the spokesman and liaison role of the ClO becomes more important. Surprisingly, as IS matures, the strategic responsibilities entitled in the monitor and entrepreneur roles of the ClO do not become more important. However, it was found that the more centralized the IS resource, the greater the CIO's role in acting as a spokesman, environmental monitor, and resource allocator. The results of this study have implications for management development, training, and the career planning of IS management.

Key words and phrases: chief information officer, information system managerial roles, information system maturity, information system middle managers, information systems personnel