IT Manager's Handbook: Getting Your New Job Done (3 page)

1.1 Just What Does an IT Manager Do?

IT Managers now have many responsibilities (data centers, staff management, telecommunications, servers, applications, workstations, websites, mobile access and devices, user support, regulatory compliance, vendor management, disaster recovery, etc.) and work with all the departments (accounting, human resources, marketing, sales, distribution, facilities, legal, etc.) within a company or organization.

This is both the good and the bad news.
At some companies, an IT Manager can have direct influence on the strategic direction of the company, suggesting and helping implement web initiatives, for example. In other companies, an IT Manager is really only a technician, software developer, or network engineer. And to complicate things even further, those definitions change quickly over time. Yesterday’s network engineer might become today’s website consultant.

Why All That Change and Flexibility Is Good

The position of IT Manager can be very challenging. It is extremely varied in scope, allows you to come in contact with a large portion of your company, provides you with opportunities to directly affect the overall direction of your organization, and is very valuable professional experience to acquire. In addition, you get to increase your range of experience; you are forced to (and
get to
) keep up with the latest changes in technology (so your skill set will always be in demand) and your network of contacts gets large.

As important as all that is, there is an added bonus: In recent years, IT has taken on a strategic value in the roles companies play in the new economy. Information Technology is now a critical component of many companies and the U.S. economy. In the 2010–2011 Occupational Outlook Handbook released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, “computer and mathematical science occupations … are expected to grow more than twice as fast as the average for all occupations in the economy … driven by the continuing need for businesses, government agencies, and other organizations to adopt and utilize the latest technologies.”

And for IT Managers, the report says, “faster than average employment growth is expected … [and] job prospects should be excellent.” Specifically the report projects employment of computer and information systems managers to grow 17 percent over the 2008–2018 decade, which is faster than the average for all occupations. New uses for “technology in the workplace will continue to drive demand for workers, fueling the need for more managers.” Not only is your job interesting and rewarding, it is also very important and increasingly in demand. Dependence on technology is only growing, and issues such as security, revenue generation, improved productivity, and compliance are making IT more visible throughout the organization. What more could you ask for?

Why All That Change and Flexibility Is Bad

However, being an IT Manager is a difficult, often thankless, task. Like many service jobs, if you do it superbly, most people do not notice. Mess up and they scream. In addition, responsibilities of the job differ radically from company to company. Some companies actually have many IT Managers and several layers of management. At others (although this number is shrinking) an IT Manager is a part-time role someone fills while doing their “real” job.

In addition, the role of an IT Manager can often vary widely within the same organization, depending on who is making the decisions at the time. The “Western Region Sales Manager” knows what his role is—get more sales as soon as possible in a specific area—and that is not going to vary much from company to company. An IT Manager, however, can mean many things to many people, and the job changes as technology and needs advance and evolve.

Addressing all these needs and people can mean that time for “extras” such as sleep and meals have to be sacrificed. As a manager, everyone else’s crises become yours. People (your users, your management, your staff, etc.) demand quick resolutions to problems and look to you to fix them. In this book, we discuss in detail the positive and negative elements of the key components of being an IT Manager. If a process is littered with political landmines (budgeting, for example), we’ll warn you about it; if a process has hidden perks (being an unofficial
project manager
for a project can put you in contact with many different people at many different layers of the organization), we’ll tell you that, too. But before you decide if you should be an
IT
Manager, read the next section to determine if you want to be a
manager
at all.

1.2 Managers in General

Before you decide whether you want to become an IT Manager, you should decide whether you want to become a manager at all. One method of evaluating a potential career is to read books or take introductory classes about how to do it; sometimes, reading a book about a subject will make you realize you do
not
want to pursue that particular career (see
Table 1.1
).

Table 1.1.
Pros and Cons of Being a Manager

Like most topics in this book, we present you with both the positive and the negative aspects of being a manager. We share our experiences and those of other managers we know; managers with over 100 years of combined experience contributed ideas to the following section.

Of course, the comments in this section are extremely subjective. Both positive and negative comments about such a broad topic (“management”) are bound to be generalizations that can easily be counter-argued. So take each comment, idea, and suggestion as something to be considered, evaluated, and adapted; perhaps it applies to your experience and perhaps not.

Definition of a Manager

Management has been defined as “assembling the resources to achieve a mutually agreed upon objective” (G. Puziak, 2005) or as “getting things done through other people” (AMA President, 1980). A more mundane dictionary definition is the “authoritative control over the affairs of others.” All three views are commonly held beliefs.

Note the radical difference between the definitions: the first two have a sense of collaboration (“mutually agreed upon” and “through”), whereas the last one defines management as “control.” As always, flexibility is the key.

Styles of Management

These definitions reflect the two typical management structures American companies now employ:

•
Command and Control

•
Collaboration

These styles have many different names: “authoritarian” and “participative,” or “military” and “worker responsibility.”

Few companies, or individuals, are either purely one type or another, of course, but most are
generally
one kind or another. To succeed as a manager, it’s best if you determine which type of management your company embraces. Also, determine which type of manager you want to become. Regardless of your answer, being flexible and adaptable will be a critical factor. While one type of style may work well in one situation, a different set of circumstances could call for an entirely different approach.

Command and Control

Based on classic military structure, this style was popular for much of American corporate history. You direct your employees and your boss directs you. In its extreme, this style doesn’t allow for disagreement or input from subordinates. It emphasizes clear commands, and rewards those that follow these commands virtually without question.

This style has lost popularity and is most familiar to the older generations (see the section
“Generational Issues at Work”
in
Chapter 2, Managing Your IT Team
, on
page 57
). While some environments still operate under this style, many corporations are revisiting their commitment to such a rigid method of management. While execution of tasks under command and control systems is often faster and costs less, it also often leads to poor decisions and less-than-ideal results, and ends up costing more over the long term. In addition, employees under this system are often unhappy because they exercise little control in their jobs. It is also hard to know what value is lost in an environment where collaboration and teamwork are absent and discouraged.

Collaboration

This style of management has been growing in popularity and use for the past few decades. In a collaborative environment, all levels of the corporate organization are actively involved in the execution of business. It doesn’t necessarily mean dock workers make decisions on plant relocations (although assembly-line workers are now much more involved in decisions that affect them than they ever have been). But it does mean that many workers who are affected or who can contribute to decisions are now asked to be involved—regardless of where they stand in the company hierarchy.

The goals of collaboration are better and more cost-effective decisions because the people affected by those decisions are involved in making them, with a very significant added benefit of increased personal satisfaction for workers. The negatives are summarized by that old adage “paralysis by analysis.” When this happens, too many people involved in a decision don’t make the decision and it bogs down.

Within the collaboration mode, there are also two extremes: managers who micromanage—they are involved in every decision and consult as many people as possible on even the smallest of issues—and managers who are so distant they provide no guidance or feedback to their team and ignore even the most pressing of issues.

In some companies, the collaborative culture has been fully embraced at the highest levels of the organization. Andy Grove, former CEO of Intel; Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City; and Mark Zuckerberg, cofounder and CEO of Facebook chose to work at desks in open environments, as opposed to the traditional executive perk of having their own executive office.

What Kind of Manager Will You Be?

It’s hard to predict, but study the two types of management styles discussed above. Which kind have you experienced as a staff member? Which kind did you like? What kind of style is common in your company? “Management style shock” is not uncommon; a manager comes from another company and, bringing her management toolbox with her, quickly discovers that her “style” and that of the new company radically conflict. She is used to a collaborative approach and this company has no patience for discussion; her bosses dictate what she should do and they expect her to do the same. Or, she starts commanding her staff around and they, used to group meetings to make important decisions, are shocked.

In a survey about senior management terminations released in 2009 by the Korn/Ferry Institute , it was found that a leading reason for termination “is difficulty with relationships in the organization, much more frequently cited than purely performance-related issues.” Furthermore, the report stated “that 50 percent of performance at the CEO level is determined not by one’s experience or technical abilities but by leadership characteristics. Leadership characteristics encompass areas such as personal and interpersonal skills, being organizationally savvy and [having] integrity” (source:
www.kornferryinstitute.com/files/pdf1/KFceo_whtppr_jan30.pdf
). Of course, this book isn’t about succeeding as a CEO, but there is certainly a lesson here that individuals from all parts of the organization can appreciate and learn from.