When the leadership team comprises individuals who admit they are not “technology people,” they will often defer to the technology leader on all decisions other than budgets. They reason, “as long as they have the budget, I trust them to keep stuff up and running.” This makes sense as education leaders lack the expertise to manage the IT, but it is irresponsible of organizational leaders to approach technology as area they cannot and should not influence.
As a result, technology leaders’ advocacy should both ensure technology has adequate support and resources and that organizational leaders understand the technology and contribute to decisions. And they ensure IT decision-making includes diverse representation.