Leadership Responsibilities in Information Security Awareness Development

Balázs Kárász,Csaba Kollár

doi:10.32565/aarms.2020.2.6

Abstract

This paper aims to introduce the main aspects arising in the organisational context related to leadership roles when information security awareness is being engineered and developed according to purposes set within. Achieving these development purposes is connected to the commanding function of leadership, while being influenced by key human risk factors such as: leadership commitment and example setting, leadership quality, the state of being motivated and above all, the ability of responsible decision- making on a professional basis. In order to improve the effectiveness of putting the implementation into practice, a methodological toolset needs to be elaborated for the disposal of the leader, thanks to which, besides taking on a transactional leadership style and a cyclic program management, the continuous monitoring and tailoring to the organisation of the development purposes all become facilitated.

Highlights

Introduction and research detailsDue to current threats on information society, as well as the growing need of dynamical development in safety culture, it became pronouncedly important for organisations to protect information as an intangible asset of high value, as well as the information systems and information infrastructures affected
We attempt to find the shared section of all above-mentioned aspects of leadership functions and styles, security awareness, commitment and example setting, key skills – in order to locate leadership example setting within the concept of organisational information security awareness
Organising security awareness programs alone does not result in realising security awareness itself, since it is inevitable to entirely process the information needed for design, achieve full leadership commitment and example setting, as well as undertaking corrections after the realisation of the program according to the related feedbacks, in order to implement an effective and successful personnel development system

Summary

Introduction and research details

Due to current threats on information society, as well as the growing need of dynamical development in safety culture, it became pronouncedly important for organisations to protect information as an intangible asset of high value, as well as the information systems and information infrastructures affected. Despite applying all sorts of countermeasures that have a technical approach, human risk factors highly influence their effectiveness in practice. B. KÁRÁSZ – Cs. KOLLÁR: Leadership Responsibilities in Information Security Awareness. Based on the above-mentioned issues, the following question arises: how can organisational information security awareness be, and how could leaders effectively manage human risks when reacting to cyber threats at leadership level by applying civil methods of HR and risk management, as well as security awareness development?. The objective of this research is to determine the roles of leadership within the concept on how organisational information security awareness can be outlined and defined, through analysing the available literature on the functions of leadership. The research aims to emphasise major responsibilities of leaders, which can be effectuated as reactions to the expected effects of human risk factors. The expected results are targeted to further researches in military context

Research methods

Literature review

Conclusion and outlook

Summary