======================================================================== THE ADVICE LINE: BOB LEWIS http://www.infoworld.com ======================================================================== Wednesday, December 22, 2004
IN THIS ISSUE * Bonus time * ITIL depend on circumstances -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ADVERTISEMENT THE POWER OF DESIGN, AN INFOWORLD WEBCAST ON MODELING Did you know that with the power of a model-driven approach, one can simplify new architectures, improve development performance, and respond rapidly to changes across other data models? Join InfoWorld's CTO, Chad Dickerson, in this webcast as he explores benefits of "The Power of Design," sponsored by Sybase. http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=A91324:2B910B2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ======================================================================== BONUS TIME Dear Bob ... I make more than the salary range I am in so I don't get a raise and have not in a few years. That part simply is what it is. The part that I'm a little confused about is the bonus. To make a very long story very short - I was rated higher than I was last year, my business unit and the organization as a whole did better this year, both from a revenue and net profit perspective, I received very high (and, it seemed, sincere) praise from my boss when he delivered the review, but my bonus was lower than last year. Without a raise as a possibility, the only way for me to judge my value to the organization in concrete terms is through my bonus. My plan is something like this - thank them for the bonus, then ask "out of curiosity" how the bonuses were determined - was it by a formula or by a more subjective assessment. When asked why I'm asking (if they don't already know), calmly and professionally lay out the case I articulated above and see where it goes (minus the part about the bonus being the only way to judge my value - I don't want this to be a rehash of feedback from my boss, I just want an answer to the question). Your thoughts on my strategy? Just Wondering Dear Wondering ... Just an opinion: Subtlety won't work here. Quite the opposite, it's two most likely results are that either (1) your boss will simply miss the point, or (2) he won't miss the point but will pretend to. One other point: Don't thank your boss for the bonus. It takes the conversation in exactly the wrong direction, making the bonus a gift and you someone who's griping about its size. Properly understood, the bonus is an expression of gratitude to you from the business - the sincerest form of communication there is in the world of business. You don't thank someone for thanking you. I'd suggest a more straightforward approach. Meet with your boss, express appreciation for the favorable performance review (that is appropriate), and then say this or the equivalent: "Help me understand something. Employees who are lower in their salary range receive both a bonus and an increase. I don't have the opportunity for a salary increase, which I fully understand. What I don't understand is ... http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=A9131E:2B910B2 ======================================================================== ITIL DEPEND ON CIRCUMSTANCES Dear Bob ... In response to Initiatives si. Fads no ( http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=A9131F:2B910B2 ): The best way to manage IT is by using ITIL. ITIL breaks down all the different things that must be done into smaller easier to use functions. I have helped several organizations change from a shoot-from-the-nip/Fire Stomping mentality to a somewhat more in-control organization. It works!! Everyone in the IT field has a part to play in one of the areas of ITIL. Service Level Management Incident Management Problem Management Change Management Disaster Recovery Help Desk/Service Desk Release Management Configuration Management Capacity Management Financial Management Availability Management Security Management The hardest part is to change the way they do business. "No you can't just throw that patch on that server!!!!" - ITIL Advocate Dear Advocate ... I have a lot of respect for ITIL, but don't give it a blanket endorsement, for a few reasons. (I also have to say, I have only a lay understanding of it, so it's entirely possible some of what follows is based on a misreading. If so, please make me smarter about it.) First, ITIL is a process model of IT, and like all process models it's inherently incomplete. Our own IT Organizational Performance Framework includes both process and four non-process categories of performance drivers, and please believe me, many of the non-process drivers are absolutely essential. Second, it fails to distinguish between support for IT infrastructure technologies and support for personal technologies. While many of the processes needed to support these two categories are similar, the latter has a social impact on the enterprise that's entirely distinct from the former, resulting in a need for a different kind of treatment. The short version: How you support personal technologies has a colossal impact on the business/IT relationship - one of the most important (non-process) drivers of IT organizational performance. And finally, ITIL just doesn't scale down very well. As a categorization scheme it's fine - small IT shops still need configuration management, version management, patch management, capacity management, performance management and all the other processes ITIL catalogs. But the specifics of how they should be managed, both in ... http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=A9131D:2B910B2 Bob Lewis is president of IT Catalysts, Inc., http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=A91325:2B910B2 , an independent consultancy specializing in IT effectiveness and strategic alignment. Contact him at [EMAIL PROTECTED] . -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ADVERTISEMENT Have you ever wished you could give every manager in your IT organization a practical toolkit of leadership techniques, the way you can for database administrators or developers? You can. That's exactly what I've engineered my IT leadership seminar to accomplish. If you're interested, visit http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=A91321:2B910B2 - Bob Lewis -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ====================================================================== INFOWORLD SMB NEWSLETTER Sign up today for the latest news, reviews, and product information essential to the smooth running of your SMB's IT operations. http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=A91320:2B910B2 ====================================================================== ADVERTISE To advertise, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] ====================================================================== UNSUBSCRIBE/MANAGE NEWSLETTERS To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your e-mail address for any of InfoWorld's e-mail newsletters, go to: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=A9131C:2B910B2 To subscribe to InfoWorld.com, or InfoWorld Print, or both, or to renew or correct a problem with any InfoWorld subscription, go to http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=A91323:2B910B2 To view InfoWorld's privacy policy, visit: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=A91322:2B910B2 Copyright (C) 2005 InfoWorld Media Group. 501 Second St., San Francisco, CA 94107 This message was sent to: [email protected]
