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Some Assembly Required
One of the most dangerous beliefs floating in the corridors of power is that IT value delivery is just a signed check away. But just as George Steinbrenner can't buy a World Series win with his well-paid New York Yankees, your enterprise can't buy a world-class IT value delivery system. Some HR assembly is required. Great IT organizations develop their leaders from within.
Jerry Batt, vice president and chief information officer at $14.6-million Pulte Homes Inc. in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., underscores the importance of staff development and training. "I have always thought that he with the most 'wizards' wins the IS game. My career has been built around hiring, developing and utilizing them."
Indeed, if IT is to realize its full potential and deliver sustainable value, everyone, from the board of directors on down, must take a more active role in developing and managing the competencies of those in the technology trenches.
At one midmarket utility company, managers conduct biannual performance reviews and track key performance indicators at the individual and group level, says the CIO. "We also custom-develop training for each employee based on workload. Everyone is treated the same way, but the bell curve always applies," he notes. "The top 25% carry the load and exceed expectations; [the middle] 50% are the easiest group to improve; it's the bottom 25% that's the challenge."
Another midmarket respondent improves average employees with a structured training program. "Every IT employee is required to obtain new skills each year, and we offer a variety of methods to do so," the CIO of this $50-million health care organization says. "We have made it clear that this is the key to moving up."
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