Key Challenges for Establishing CIO Position in the Public Sector of LDCs: A Case of Bangladesh

Unprecedented growth of information and communications technology (ICT), calls for new public management, pressure from donors, citizen demand, and, above all, the government’s “Digital Bangladesh” political pledge provide impetus for integrating ICT in the public sector of Bangladesh. Despite efforts, the country cannot make sufficient progress in ICT due to the lack of IT structure led by a chief information officer (CIO) or similar leadership position. Although the literature describes various aspects of CIO including role effectiveness, competencies and structural relationship, it does not offer any prescriptive measure on how the CIO position should be established. Drawing on institutional theory, this research identifies critical challenges to establishing the CIO position in the public sector of Bangladesh. In-depth interviews with various stakeholders at different levels of the public sector reveal two critical challenges: a lack of organisational structure, and a lack of commitment at a policy level.