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The "Great IT Debate" - Should an IT manager be technical or not ?
The debate about whether the IT Manager should be technically competent or not has been going on since the first commercially available computer systems hit the scene in the 1960's. This is not a debate fought in the "public eye" so many people aren't aware it occurs in companies every day.
The debate is simple and there are definitely two different opinions in this one:
1. The manager must be technically competent to know what the technology resource can do and
how to manage such a person effectively.
"You can't manage someone effectively if you can't walk in his/her shoes."
2. The manager does not need to be technically competent in the technology to be an effective
manager of resources supporting the technology.
"You can't stay technically proficient and manage effectively at the same time."
Let's address my position on the issue right up front. I am a "non-technical" manager. That means that I'm not an expert on systems, networks, or business applications. However, I am definitely technically oriented and know how to identify issues that exist in a company's technology and how to prioritize the project initiatives that need to take place to mitigate risk and to provide real value for the company.
In my opinion, the best IT Managers are business oriented first and foremost and know how to apply technology resources to address company issues cost effectively. That's who I am. Early in my career I was a technology expert on certain business applications and computer systems and liked the role very much.
You will never find me learning how to do data entry in a business application or to configure a Cisco (no relationship) router in a network. As a CIO or an IT Manager, that's not the value the company needs to get from me. My job as the manager is to organize and focus the resources on the issues that give the company the greatest payback for its technology investment. When you consider IT expenses usually run anywhere from 1% to as much as 10% or more of the company's revenue, it is a big price tag for most companies. That doesn't mean that I won't look at data entry if I believe there is potential upside by handling it differently.
I have often been confronted by the "senior programmer" or "senior network administrator" as their new IT Manager or CIO that I didn't have the right credentials to manage their group. In some cases, I met early resistance when implementing quality improvement tracking systems to measure the effectiveness of our programming changes and delivery. The problem stated every time by my senior programmers was that it would "slow us down" and "make the customer more unhappy than they already are".
I'm not a programmer to be sure but any seasoned manager knows the value of doing something right the first time and that although you take extra steps to get it right, the ultimate productivity impact is a strong improvement, not less output. Once the programmer sees the numbers of what was being delivered before and then after quality improvement changes are made plus the difference in the rework time, you can literally see the light bulb go on in their expressions. I didn't have to know how to program Cobol or Java code to recognize and manage the issue, , , but it certainly helped me that I have programmed some in my past.
You don't have to be a technical expert to be able to identify issues that cause risk or that offer potential savings for your company. Experience, a solid understanding of the business operation and the industry, plus knowing how to achieve a true Return on Investment (ROI) are much more valuable than knowing the inside workings of an operating system or how the router works when you are in a management position. The manager needs to know how to find the experts and focus them on the appropriate priorities, not do the job.
Don't get me wrong, I believe in staying current with what's taking place in technology. It's changing more rapidly than ever before and every IT Manager needs to stay current with the issues of the day. Keeping up with what's happening doesn't mean continuing to be the expert. There simply isn't enough time. I recently began attending a Technology Awareness Series conference conducted by ACTS, Inc. for that very reason. It gives me a broad perspective on many technology issues in a very short timeframe and time is critical to all of us.
Bill Carico's Technology Awareness Series (TAS) seminar will be held October 11-15, 2004 at Meadowlakes Country Club in Marble Falls, Texas. I highly recommend this session to anyone wanting to learn about the latest trends in technology. TAS has a broad topic agenda with a technology expert teach team from companies like Lockheed Martin, Progressive Insurance, HP, IBM, State of Texas, and ISM. Mention you heard about TAS from Mike Sisco and get the best possible price to the TAS conference.
One of the best pieces of advice I got as a young manager was that to be effective, "You have to let go of the technology and the desire to be proficient in it when you become a manager. If you don't let go, you aren't spending the time or making the effort you need to in your management responsibility."
Managing people and organizations is an entirely different discipline than being a technology expert. One of the problems technology organizations have everywhere is that too many managers are focusing on the technology and not on the business. That's why you hear so much about "technology needing to be properly aligned with the business" these days.
Recently, I conducted an IT assessment in a small manufacturing company. The proposal being evaluated by the CEO was a $350,000 upgrade to improve the company's network. He called me in to take an objective look because he wasn't certain it was an appropriate investment.
Key findings in my assessment were:
- the network had an uptime of 99.9% for the past 3 years
- the data center was immaculate
- the company had recently reduced its number of employees by 18% by consolidating operations
to adjust to the economy impacts
- the department managers were very unhappy with business application support
Are you getting the picture? The manager was a former network administrator and probably a very good one. The problem was that his focus was on the network technology that he understood, not on what the company needed. He was spending too much time dealing with technology and not enough time in understanding the business issues and needs.
The morale of the story is that we saved the company hundreds of thousands of dollars in a two week assessment and refocused IT on issues that had real value for the company. I'm all for spending and making investments in technology, but only when it provides value.
My recommendation is that when you have the opportunity to manage technology resources, focus in on the skills of management, understanding what the business needs, and how to get things accomplished through your people. Let go of the need to be technology proficient. If being the technology expert is what you like, great; take that path and you will probably be a lot happier and more effective.
The debate goes on, , ,
Send me your comments.
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