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CM Journal Articles Personality Matters: Predictions for 2008
CM Journal Articles Personality Matters: Predictions for 2008
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 When it comes to making predictions regarding human behavior, all bets are off!
As much as researchers know, and continue to make educated guesses based upon
their findings, individual human beings seem to delight in defying simple
categorization. That being said, there are ways to utilize our understanding of
individuals and group dynamics to examine how human factors are likely to
impact the IT workplace. Read on to see specific examples of how psychological
insight will enhance your performance in our ever more global society.
The recent trend toward outsourcing IT functions, although more moderately paced than in past years is still continuing. Unfortunately, the need to combine many individuals from several countries and cultures into one unified development team is frequently a task just as difficult as - and sometimes even more so than - the technological challenges the members are being requested to resolve. How does a CM professional harness the value of divergent input while sidestepping the potential minefields? I am certain that every reader has at least one personal "horror" story about a project where the "people factors" significantly interfered with team productivity. There are many factors which are affected by the globalization of the IT industry. For example, the work culture in many foreign countries is just that - foreign - to those of us who have been raised in the US. Similarly, IT experts from other places may find our attitudes and mores quite different than those with which they were trained. Just as newly married couples must learn to understand how things were done in their partner's family-of-origin, so to must the employees of today learn how their foreign colleagues approach the work situation. Many problems can be eliminated by beginning with the realization that these differences are INEVITABLE. They need not be feared, but they must be discussed and strategies clearly delineated so that all parties understand the procedures to be followed. One colleague described to me his disconcerting experience consulting abroad with an outsourced team; it took about two weeks before he realized that these people just did not like confrontations. When they did not agree with a decision, rather than verbalize their feelings, they would simply smile and walk off. When they encountered difficulty completing a technological task, they would not volunteer this information, but simply wait until they were questioned about its status. Although these behaviors did cause some delays, my associate was able to minimize the negative effects of this "cultural" norm once he was aware of the phenomena and his own need to compensate for their passivity. In addition to the challenges of working with individuals who may not share your work style and work ethic, there is the added challenge of trying to communicate effectively with people who speak a foreign language. Even when the outsourced employees understand English, their comprehension may be quite literal and probably does not include full appreciation of the many colloquialisms that occur in daily conversation. It may seem obvious to say, but the reality is that teamwork depends on solid relationships. And those bonds are difficult to establish and maintain when language barriers prevent members from feeling connected on a level deeper than superficial pleasantries. The power of learning some conversational basics in the tongue of your new colleagues to generate good will and enthusiasm for the joint effort should not be underestimated. Another byproduct of globalization is the alteration of many people's sleep-work cycles. When critical projects, with key players in different time zones, need to get completed quickly, many of these developers must switch their normal operating routines to accommodate others. However, the fact that "Jack" may have pulled an all-nighter in order to work through a coding issue with the top-tier employees abroad does not necessarily mean that his local boss will be sympathetic to his desire to "sleep in". So poor Jack tries to catch a few hours nap before putting in an appearance at the office, then rushes home for another brief rest before his next overnight work session. As the old nursery rhyme states, "all work & no play" makes Jack a dull guy. It also makes him very, very irritable and eventually a lot less productive, too. Another employment trend which is bound to increase in the future is telecommuting. This phenomenon shares a significant feature with globalization; both involve lots of communication without face-to-face contact. No matter how many emails and phone conversations two people share, there is still no substitute for being in the same time and place. Although Web cams may allow for some degree of eye contact and reading of body language, they still can't replace a friendly handshake. Many of us have probably had the experience of working with someone before actually meeting. Often we were surprised to discover that the other individual looked and dressed nothing liike we expected. Furthermore, not only did we enjoy the chance to "physically" meet this person we'd been relating to, but we probably preferred having a mental image to call upon during our future interactions. And researchers have reported that once we have this frame of reference established, we experience more satisfaction with our communications. One last observation about the future of IT work environments is in order. Expect to see many settings where the traditional hierarchy of oldest & most experienced at the top of the organizational chart and newbies down way below is being challenged. Now that we have a workforce that includes a generation raised on technology from a much earlier age, many of these tech savvy "kids" will be moving up the corporate ladder much faster than their parents could. This may result in more "office generational gaps" than has been the norm until now. By this I mean the awkwardness which sometimes occurs when a 50 year old manager suddenly finds himself reporting to a 30 year-old tech whiz who has been promoted. It will take some strong interpersonal skills to defuse the resentment that frequently arises in such scenarios. But without directly addressing and resolving these issues, productive teamwork is impossible. 2008 promises to bring many new and exciting developments to the field of IT. Most of these changes will also cause ripples in the ways we need to manage personnel. Recognizing how our new technologies and methodologies affect our colleagues, both as individuals, and as team members, will enable us to keep them as motivated and productive as possible Leslie Sachs is a New York State Certified School Psychologist with over 20 years of experience. Ms. Sachs has worked in a variety of clinical and business settings where she has provided many effective interventions designed to improve the social and educational functioning of both individuals and groups. Ms. Sachs has an M.S. in School Psychology from Pace University and interned in Bellevue's Psychiatric Center in NYC. A firm believer in the uniqueness of every individual, she has recently done advanced training with Mel Levine's "All Kinds of Minds" Institute. She may be reached at LeslieASachs@gmail.com
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... I cannot agree with this more, as someone who has been responsible for working with team members / customers in other countries, understanding the cultural norms of who you are dealing with it critical. Even in cases dealing with the UK, Austrailia, or very accomplished English speakers in South America or other countries, or even other parts of our own country, we forget that regional, cultural, and societal impacts are at play and being aware of those, and sensitive to them when communicating can help ensure a more successful project and engaged project team. |
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