PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
Performance management in IT
Performance management among IT communities offers some particular challenges and there is a consensus that this process is, if anything, more problematic in IT than in many other areas. That's according to a new study by Diaz Research, a specialist IT consultancy and research company.
The study found that there has been an increased emphasis on performance management in IT functions over the past two years. Among 12 large companies surveyed by Diaz in September 2003, 11 cited performance management as a "top three" IT human resource concern. Of these companies, about half mentioned performance management of poor performers as their specific concern the other five companies had more general concerns.
When questioned by Diaz about the people management capabilities of their IT managers, three-quarters of companies said that handling poor performance was a key area for development for their IT managers. "Clearly, IT managers are more respected for managing the performance of their systems and networks than they are of their people," says Diaz.
Developments in performance management
If there is one big thing happening in performance management at present, the Diaz study reckons it has to concern the impact of diverse cultures in terms of complicating the task of performance management. "The yellow brick road along which organisations thought to travel in the late 1990s, which ended in an endemic culture of talking about performance in certain ways and a focus on improving it, is being dealt a sideways shock by the rapid integration of many cultures within global organisations," says Diaz.
"Just as cultural training is now given to many call centre operators, so cultural training may increasingly have to be given to IT managers and staff. It will not always be possible to avoid these issues by ensuring that people are managed by a same-culture manager. And performance management norms may have to change, though of course they must continue to meet the key criterion of being effective in improving the performance of the people to whom they are applied."
Want to know more?
Title: Managing Performance at Work: 10 learning points for IT teams, Diaz Research.
Availability: Contact Diaz, tel: 020 7544 8692 or email: post@diazresearch.com
To download a copy of the contents page in PDF format, click here: www.diazresearch.com/Contents%20of%204007%201%20Performance%20Management%20in%20IT.pdf
Diaz Research is an independent analyst and research company focusing on the HR aspects of IT organisations. To find out more visit www.diazresearch.com
Posted 6 April 2004