Personnel In Technology

Personnel in Technology

Technology is today's business world is the hub of an organization's success or "failure to launch". Operations within a company, is hinged on performance of technological components within its systems. The demise of a company can easily be attributed to failing systems, antiquated software, programs and lack of knowledge, ongoing training and expertise within those responsible for the framework or development of a company's operating system, technology support employees.

Earlier in the advent and subsequent increase in the formation of IT departments, those employees were regarded as "geeks" with an image arising of plaid shirt, pocket protector, thick rimmed, black framed glasses wearing verbally inept individuals who were absolutely brilliant when it came to communicating via the computer as well as being able to devise and create programs and break codes. The evolution of the Internet and increased usage, dependency and reliability on devices such as laptops, notepads, notebooks, cellular phones that provide more than just the ability to initiate or answer a call has also given way to the new and improved image of those who work in the IT department. The stereotype has given way to that cool, popular persona as these individuals are sought after and more often, others hang onto their every word of advice or knowledge.

Building an IT team to provide technological support requires diversity and sensitivity. Those employed in the IT department also have to be willing to remove any pre conceived notions of the employees in other departments as not being smart enough to understand technical situations and dialog. Team building within a technology department starts with a well rounded individual to head the department. This person should have the characteristics of being able to understand the complexities of various personalities, be an effective communicator, very knowledgeable or more resourceful when it comes to resource management as well as exhibit strengths when it comes to building a diverse team and maintaining a cohesive team spirit. There are individuals who are brilliant technically but have no interpersonal skills and working within a team environment could spell disaster for those particular individuals. There are those individuals that are not necessarily as technically savvy, however they are very resourceful and excellent at locating the needed information to address a particular situation and are very adept at documenting processes. A very effective IT department is made up of a group of diverse individuals from various backgrounds. Education is a major factor but not the deciding factor when it comes to recruiting and hiring especially in the technology department. There should ideally be an eclectic mix of employees that offers a blend of those who are seasoned employees having been with the company for some time in order to be able to get some kind of historical information like previous projects or implementations, post analysis, communication style within the company where it was, status at the moment and trends of the future; there should be new employees who bring fresh ideas, styles and creativity that help to invigorate any spirit of stagnancy and promote the movement into the future, as well as sharing ideas from previous job exposure and insight into analysis of situations that worked and those that didn't. The leadership team should be cognizant of the ability to have effective communicators to "bridge the gap" between the technical and non-technical employees. "Group think" is an effective way to hash out ideas and create solutions to ongoing problems by incorporating team members' input and addressing each in order to identify root cause or create new resolution. Technology plays a major role in collaborating activities to add value the company's value chain. "Business unit interrelationships offer opportunities to create synergies among business units" (Spencer, 2008).

Training is also an essential element of establishing an effective IT department. Initially, in order to understand the components of the business, it is necessary to understand the business itself. The first order of business is to provide an overview of the business structure itself then create detailed information on the departments, including the functions, what systems are used by whom and what access is needed for each user. "Training and support professionals can partner with the line manager,