IT Leadership in Organizations

IS 603 for Master students (M.Sc. MMM, M.Sc. Bus. Edu., M.Sc. Econ., M.Sc. Bus. Inf., MAKUWI, MMDS)

Lecturer Prof. Dr. Hartmut Höhle
Course Format Lecture
Offering HWS
Credit Points 6 ECTS
Language English
Grading Case study and written exam (60 min.)
Registration To apply, please send an email to applicat@uni-mannheim.de. Please attach the following documents to the email: Current CV, current Transcript, and motivational letter
Information for Students Limited to 35 participants.
Syllabus Link
  • Course Description

    The course examines strategic IT leadership as a central driver of digital transformation within organizations. It explores how IT is prioritized, governed, and evaluated in terms of its cost and value contribution to the organization. In addition, the course addresses leadership challenges in IT, including project governance, talent management, and risk management and crisis response. Finally, it considers how emerging technologies and innovation influence strategic decision-making at the executive level. 

    Students will be  working in groups, with each group responsible for preparing and presenting chapters from the accompanying textbook. Participation in the course is mandatory, as the presentations form an integral part of the course. 

  • Learning Outcomes

    Upon successful completion of this course, students will ...

    • understand the strategic role of IT in shaping the digital transformation of business processes and critically evaluate IT priorities and portfolio decisions
    • understand key concepts of strategic IT leadership, including IT governance, value creation, risk management, and innovation management
    • analyze challenges faced by CIOs and IT leaders in organizational environments
    • summarize and communicate insights from the IT leadership domain in a structured presentation, critically evaluating its impact on the whole organization
  • Literature

    Austin, R. D., O'Donnell, S., & Nolan, R. L. (2016). The Adventures of an IT Leader, Updated Edition with a New Preface by the Authors. Harvard Business Review Press.