Why owner managers of SMES don't develop and deliver IT strategies

For the last two years, the author attended meetings of the Yorkshire Forward, Regional Strategy and Advisory Group for improving SME ICT use and competitiveness across the region. This paper reviews the surveys carried out on behalf of this group and some insights gained from a regional survey carried out in the Neisse region of the EU. It seeks to draw lessons by reference to some general literature on IT strategy formulation and delivery, some work previously presented by the author, some recent research published by the Northern Leadership Academy and suggests why owner managers of SMEs typically don’t implement IT plans in a systematic manner.
Key words: SME Owner Managers; ICT Strategy; Strategic Space; Northern Leadership Academy