The Age February 12, 2016 By James Adonis
There couldn't possibly be an IT department more loathed at the moment than the one at TAFE NSW. It was revealed last week that, since 2013, hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on a new computer system that turned out to be more fanciful than fancy. Thousands of students are unable to be enrolled. Contractors couldn't be paid. Employees abandoned their jobs to avoid all the drama. The culprit in these cases, maybe unfairly, is usually seen as the IT department. Its members are often accused of being impatient and unresponsive, jargon-rich and charm-poor, with archaic infrastructure they claim is working just fine but which everyone else knows is actually a big piece of you-know-what. But you know who I feel sorry for the most? The IT department. It's a tough gig. No wonder a British poll last year found 88 per cent of people working in IT are highly stressed. Similar numbers would presumably be repeated here. IT workers are more often than not, it seems, overworked and exhausted, with consequences spilling over into their personal life. And yet, despite all of that, criticisms remain. Here's something that might go a little way towards explaining those criticisms. Last year, scholars from the University of Tennessee published the findings arising from their major study. They wanted to find out whether there was a difference between the traits of IT professionals and the rest of us. So they analysed the personality data of 12,000 IT folk and more than 73,000 people who worked in other industries. What they discovered was that those in IT have "significantly lower levels of customer service orientation than employees in other occupations". But by far the most defining characteristic was this: tough-mindedness. The researchers say that's because the nature of the work requires IT professionals to be detached and analytical. They're also more likely to be introverted and pessimistic. The former isn't a big deal since their job is mostly performed in isolation. The latter, however, is a mystery. The professors suggest it may be because they need to adopt critical thinking, which drags them away from optimism. Of course, it could also be that they're just feeling our pain, acutely aware that whatever tech issues we're facing aren't going away any time soon. Ref:http://www.theage.com.au/small-business/managing/work-in-progress/deconstructing-the-it-professional-20160210-gmqzjo.html Reader Comments: One of the common gripes is (or perhaps, to be fair, seems to be) that when confronted with a computer screen, many otherwise sane and intelligent people forget how to think, refuse to read, and don't listen. IMO, IT folk are often significantly less social, and I am a classic example of this. I believe that the desire to help is there; it's contempt for seemingly deliberate obtuseness that is not hidden or squirreled away. It's also not just IT folk talking to non-IT folk either - it happens within IT just as often. When IT asks you what the error said, it's because it helps us. When we ask what you were doing, it's so we understand, not criticise. When you tell us you don't know and it's not your job to know; it's like going to the doctor and saying you're sick - when she asks what's wrong, you say, "I don't know but you're a doctor! Why haven't you fixed me already?" Would you expect miracles from her too? When faced with people who seem to have been conditioned to "just click something to make it go away", who didn't (perhaps won't?) read the message or even listen to what we ask - but who demand an instant fix regardless, there's a gradual buildup of frustration and disdain. Couple this with: * Ever reducing budgets (no you can't buy new computers, we bought some seven years ago and computers last as long as trucks right) * Demands from staff and the business to deliver more for less; * Outsourcing to "save money" regardless of the non-financial impacts; * An expectation that business IT is just like your PC or iPad, so why can't you just do what I demand; Well, IT is caught in the middle. A bit generalised and playing to stereotypes I think. It depends on what aspect of IT you work in , if your role is customer facing , if your company actually values and encourages high levels of customer service and if you company has any clue about how to use IT or just sees it as a commodity. Some places are exactly as you describe but many are not. I felt for the people working through the recent Windows XP issues at Royal Melbourne Hospital. I wonder how many times management where told to invest before it finally blew up? I have worked in IT (tech support and other roles) for 30+ years. I enjoyed it to start with when I would go into work on a Saturday voluntarily because I could get time on the machine to make amendments. I became an IT architect to get away from the daily stresses of 2am phone calls, but the stress and pressure is still there. I hate it with a passion, but I can't walk away because I can't do anything else. Firstly, let me say I'm a CIO with more than 50 staff and the article resonates with me. I have many staff with exceptionally high IQ’s, however just because you are intelligent doesn't necessarily mean you are smart. Now that I've finished reassuring all the narcissists on how inept IT people are, you need to remember that just because you have an iphone does not make you an expert on delivering IT services in a large organisation. Sure, you can google an answer to a technical issue, but relying on that answer alone, without the context of your company's IT, only shows how arrogant and stupid you are. IT bashing is the favourite sport in my company, despite our many successes, minimal downtime, and the fact we are rated best in our competitive group. The lack of social awareness inherent in IT people is a blessing in this regard – many can’t fathom the contempt towards them. This is my lot in life though. Next time you are complaining about IT, think about the fact you work in a company with budgets, other employees, complex systems, and your IT crew have to deliver them all - to everyone. If you think you are special go and see the CEO to organise your own personal systems and support. Also think about the fact some people in your company, right up to the CEO, often have no idea what IT does, so they treat it purely an extension of you’re an iphone, as a cost that can be slashed at will. Organisational IT is far from that simple and very few people understand this. Spend your IT money wisely, not only with systems innovation, but also developing the skills and personalities of IT staff, and you invest in your organisations future. I have 30 years of experience in IT management and I concur absolutely. The level of understanding of IT management by Australian executives and managers is usually woeful. And true experience and knowledge of IT professionals is routinely ignored. Execs tend to defer to the vendor who is out to screw them because they are being wined and dined and told exactly what they want to hear. The independent advice of their own staff as to what will actually work doesn't stand a chance against the marketing budget of the vendor. Having researched project failures in Government, you have to remember that there is little to no capacity to manage the vendors who are actually doing the work. But the IT staff are the ones left holding the can when it all goes pear shaped. _______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
