Saturday, August 29, 2009

Understanding and Managing People who Manage IT

For some time, we have advocated using the four "MOPS" as a means of identifying how to improve the management of IT Production.

However, although these "MOPS" are necessary in order to improve the management of IT Production, they are not sufficient.

IT Production Management is also significantly a people skill. Technical Managers can often benefit from a scientific approach to understanding and managing people.

The use of personality profiling is not particularly common in the IT industry at the moment. However, it may be gaining ground. It can enable IT Managers to ask questions such as “How can I…

  • Improve the way I communicate with my team and peers?
  • Enhance the motivation of my teams?
  • Identify the strengths and weaknesses of a person/team and maximize his/her performance?
  • Best manage a specific person/team?

One such technique is the Birkman Report, an internet-based assessment system. It describes your unique style of leadership - your goals, your approach, what motivates you to lead, and what happens to you under stress.

Armed with this information, the IT Manager is able to develop and refine their leadership skills.

Legal Stuff

The MOPS ™ acronym is trademarked by Dennis Adams Associates Limited. The acronym stands for Metrics, Operational Tools, Processes and Standards, the four foundational requirements for IT Production Management.

Birkman Direct ® is a registered trademark of Birkman International, Inc. Copyright © 1989 – 2002, Birkman International, Inc, Houston, Texas. All rights reserved. Only BIrkman-certified consultants or persons working under the direct supervision of such consultants, are authorised to give you information relating to the BIrkman Report.