You might not hear it very often, but IT really is a “people” business. The amount of teamwork, communication and collaboration involved within the industry is incredible. How else would tech companies be regularly revolutionizing what it means to live in our world today? Technology isn’t so much about the devices or the programs being driven to market, but more about the people who will be using them. That reality is quickly changing what it means to work in IT, and how work gets done on a daily basis.
The Changing Culture of IT
The field of IT used to be highly exclusive and seemingly introverted. There were of course a few rock stars who enjoyed the limelight, but the heavy lifting happened behind the scenes and was done by a relatively homogeneous white, male workforce. But the demographics of IT workers is shifting as more women and minorities are stepping into the field. This, in turn, is changing the overall culture of the IT industry, as more employees and decision makers reflect the customer demographic. Now more than ever, you want to make sure you are hiring IT workers who are reflective of that demographic, and who are capable of building a positive work culture from the ground up.
A Growing Focus on Teamwork
IT is a highly collaborative process. As more companies zero in on the services and products they are best capable of producing and managing, they are creating partnerships with other companies to support their customers more fully. In much the same way, employees need to be able to partner with others in their organization and across their organization to better provide the services that employers and clients are depending on. Teamwork is an all-important skill. When it comes to factors like extreme agile and paired programming, employees are assessed not only on their technical skills, but interpersonal skills as well.
Working side by side collaboratively with other employees to develop innovative concepts, giving and receiving feedback to grow together, and building the trust and collaborative relationships that result in industry breakthroughs are great ways to showcase your interpersonal skills. This requires conscious effort to spur innovative thinking, and reject the shaming of failure across the company. The culture of people-centered IT must be supportive of risk taking and communication so that individual employees can each make a difference every single day. Management can support this effort by leading by example. Leaders who reward those employees who think outside the box and open themselves up to questions and feedback set the stage for a positive and collaborative mindset in their employees.
The IT field has a big responsibility to provide the answers to the big questions facing the world. Without a synergistic approach to problem solving and solution building, how will the industry be able to deliver on those promises?
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If you are looking for the best and most well-rounded information technology candidates to join your company or handle your project, work with a top IT staffing agency and contact Energy Services Group International today!
