ICT4D champions are individuals who make a decisive contribution to an ICT4D initiative by actively and enthusiastically promoting its progress through critical stages in order to mobilise resources and/or active support and cooperation from all stakeholders.Mindful of the poor performance of development projects generally, and ICT4D projects in particular, the thesis argues that the seemingly important role of key individuals, such as champions, lacks research. ...
The thesis contributes to ICT4D practice by suggesting ways to identify, develop, deploy and support champions; in so doing it offers actionable guidance on how to harness the potential positive contributions of these key individuals.Renken's may offer important insights for the JETI and technology stewardship more specifically. The ICT champions that Renken has identified and interviewed in his research share important features with the concept of the technology steward. Perhaps the steward is a type of champion with a particular motivational profile, or what he calls their centroids of motivation (Renken, 2019, p. 309).
He adapts the Work Preference Index (WPI) to characterize and distinguish different motivational profiles of the champions he has studied. The modified WPI includes 24 motivational factors, which he groups into three centroids of motivation: (1) social concern; (2) business success; (3) personal actualization. The WPI and related profiles might be useful for the JETI when beginning work with a community of practice to identify potential champions and/or when revising the pre-course survey for the Technology Stewardship Field School (TSFS) to identify profiles of participants entering the training program. This could provide important baseline data for post-course evaluation and followup research.
In Renken & Heeks (2013, p. 129-130) constructs from the Model of Transformational and Transactional Leadership (MTTL) are incorporated into an analytical framework for profiling IS champions in three dimensions: transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and non-leadership. These, in turn, provide a model "to assess someone's leadership behaviour through the use of the well-known Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ)" (p. 130).
With regard to the practical implications of Renken's work, there are at least two areas for further consideration. First, the JETI offers a program of "targeted training" to identify and support potential champions within various communities of practice within the ICT4D area. What can we learn from Renken's work in terms of how to design, implement, and evaluate the Technology Stewardship Field Schools (TSFS)?
Secondly, the technology stewardship model is explicitly intended to promote greater involvement of ICT champions in the various planning and engagement processes that, according to Renken, can "help shape motivations and create better alignment between the individual's and organizational aspirations" (Renken, 2019, p. 316). What can we learn from Renken's work in terms of how to create organizational environments and context well suited to the aspirations and needs of ICT champions (tech stewards)?
In Renken & Heeks (2019, p. 835) present "an improved and more evidence-based definition for IS champions" based on a systematic review of the literature:
Any individual who makes a decisive contribution to the socio-technical innovation by actively and enthusiastically promoting its progress through critical innovation and diffusion stages in order to obtain resources and active support from all stakeholders.They then summarize research findings into "IS champion distinctive features" further organized into eight categories in three overlapping domains.
Individual domain:
- IS champions are innovative and creative individuals with dynamic personalities.
- IS champions possess some in-depth leadership knowledge about the information technological innovation they promote.
Technological domain:
- IS champions prefer using transformational leadership style influencing tactics to promote the innovation.
- IS champions possess in-depth understanding of the organizational strategy and wider context.
- IS champions prefer collective work -- collaborating with other champions and key stakeholders to advance the innovation -- rather than working alone.
Organizational domain:
- IS champions have extensive and diverse career experiences, with different organizations and technologies, which they draw on in order to promote the focal innovation.
- A key task IS champions undertake is to translate, for all stakeholders, between the focal innovation, organizational strategy and wider context in order to promote the focal innovation.
- IS champions focus strategically on the results of successful innovation by advancing both the innovation itself -- promoting its progress through the innovation process stages -- and the effective diffusion of the technological innovation.
Renken & Heeks (2019, p. 838) also conclude with five priority issues for researchers in the area of IS (ICT) champions:
- Identification and development of champions: while opinions and research about the origin of champions continue, organizations need to actually develop effective champions. How can one identify potentially successful IS champions? How can one cultivate and develop champions?
- Champions and results: what exact visions do IS champions hold, and to what extent do they align with the strategic interests of organizations? How important are champions to the bottom-line results of the organizations that they work for?
- Champions and relationships: which are the most important relationships for IS champions? How do they go about building and maintaining those relationships?
- Champions and resources: given resource acquisition is central to champions how do IS champions identify and mobilize resources? What are the implications of champions resource orientation for IS projects and organizations?
- Contingency: how do answers to all the above questions vary by type of technology, by type of organization, by type of organizational environment, and so on?
Questions for JETI
In what ways is a technology steward similar to and different from an IS champion, as defined by Renken & Heeks?
Can we use the eight distinctive features of IS champions as a guide for technology stewardship training? How well does the current training model align with the eight distinctive features?
In what ways and to what extent can JETI adopt and adapt the five priority issues to study community-based leadership with digital media and technology?
JETI uses the term "community-based leadership" and "technology stewardship." In what ways and to what extent do these terms differ? Are they synonymous with "ICT champion"?
Can the MLQ (see above) provide useful insights in assessing leadership potential prior to/during technology stewardship training?I wonder if we are seeing in Renken's work a wider turn to a focus on leadership in ICT4D, and "development leadership" more broadly? For example, as I was gathering information on Renken, I came across The Developmental Leadership Programme at the University of Birmingham.
References
Renken, J., & Heeks, R. (2013). Conceptualising ICT4D project champions. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Information and Communications Technologies and Development: Notes - Volume 2, Cape Town, South Africa. https://doi.org/10.1145/2517899.2517928Renken, J., & Heeks, R. (2014). Champions of Information System Innovations: Thematic Analysis and Future Research Agenda. Paper presented at the UK Academy for Information Systems 19th Annual Conference, University of Oxford.
Renken, J. (2019). What Motivates ICT4D Champions? In P. Nielsen & H. C. Kimaro (Eds.), Information and Communication Technologies for Development: Strengthening Southern-Driven Cooperation as a Catalyst for ICT4D (Vol. 551, pp. 307-318). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
