People Strategies: The IT Organization of the Future

Program Notes

• Number and skill mix of personnel
• Shifting from a technology to a business focus
• Integration of skills in a distributed environment
• Leadership development
• Role and location of CIO (most participants believe that there will be a CIO position in their organization in five years, whether it is called that or not).
• Retention of the right personnel
• Knowledge management in a high turnover environment
• Optimizing productivity
• Managing in a secure (top-secret/classified) environment
• Cat herding (managing engineers and technical personnel)

• Come to work through the eyes of a new hire (e.g., 22 year old) and imagine what they would most want to see.
  • Free snacks, subsidized cafeteria, emerging technology, time off and car insurance.
  • NOT: Reserved parking for 25+ employees, long-term benefit plans, and time clocks.
• Create a cult-like culture (e.g., "fun" budgets).
• Create flexible pay scales that adjust with fluctuations in the market (e.g., Y2K and ERP)
• Blow up boxes on the organization chart to create a more flexible org structure.
• Bring in a consultant to speak with your CEO/Director/HR ... facts are our friends.
• Provide high level of support to HR department in return for their support in hiring and retention.
• Don't believe that higher pay will result in lower turnover.
• Career development typically has the biggest impact on lowering turnover.
• Retain through individualism.
• Create flexible retention plans.
• Remember: recruiters are salesmen, and are not necessarily retention-oriented.

 View Linda Pittenger's presentation slides.