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Is IT-Business/Domain Knowledge overrated?...
I was reading an interesting article on “America's 400 Best Big Companies” in a recent issue of Forbes magazine featuring “The Best Of The Best” and began musing: is the knowledge of “business domain” and experience overrated in the media and popular IT press.
To set the context for an argument: Most technology consultants, especially management consultants with an IT focus tend to emphasize the need for ‘Business IT Alignment,’ and rightly so. I will not argue against the need for businesses driving IT; business strategy, and requirements do drive much of IT needs. The business needs (aka requirements) for IT systems, in turn are driven by a fundamental business driver: make more money; a.k.a maximize shareholder wealth. Hundreds of books, articles and papers have been published on the topic with a variety of flavors.
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Does Culture Matter? Ramblings on cultural sensitivity in offshoring...
With most people in Canada getting an extended (4 day) break for Christmas, it is a good time to relax and reflect. On what? Not much...other than planning for the New Year’s break. During the break, in between socializing, I was exchanging notes with a friend who happenes to be a former manager at an offshoring company (shall go unnamed). He had recently jumped ship, to join an IT department of a mid-size company in Canada where he continues to focus on IT Project Management. He is of Indian origin, a growing tribe of Non-Resident Indians who opt to immigrate to foreign lands. Interestingly, his colleagues and peers, like him, were economic migrants from several corners of the globe.
He described how different it was to work in a “truly multicultural” team in Canada, which surprised me, given that in his former job, he had worked for several clients in the US and Europe. He said this current experience of being an immigrant colleague was ‘different’ from being an expat from his (former) company. I guess, in his case, the dynamics of being a “consultant” versus being a full-time employee of an IT department also was weighing in though that is not the aspect of software culture he was talking about. This made me reflect: there must be something to be said about experiencing working in a multicultural team; as opposed to just reading about it.
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Grief, celebration and the human face… of offshoring...
When I read the Cutter Advisory (reprinted below) by Dwayne Phillips titled "Celebrations," I began to reflect on the softest underbelly of software services: its people; and also on the ‘human’ interactions that touch us ........ even hardened technologists and managers.
Phillips says how we should not -- must not -- ignore events in our lives. . . . Stop work. Grieve.
In an offshoring context there are moments where “Stop work. Grieve” alone does not suffice.
A few weeks ago, I was talking with a colleague of mine who had just rolled off from a project for a client in California where his team had to come to grips with some human grief. News came one evening that a colleague’s father in India had passed away. Unlike a regular bereavement situation, his manager couldn’t stop at sharing the grief and signing off on the requisite leave. He had to ensure that the well oiled ‘organizational emergency’ machinery kicked in: calls to travel desk, emergency flight bookings to Delhi etc etc. Smoothening the logistical challenges and ensuring an early flight for the colleague was a part of the grief sharing process. Other colleagues helped pack the bags and drove him to the airport.
And only after that the other part of the logistical ‘challenge’ was addressed: informing the client and account stakeholders that a key member of the team would be unavailable due to Force majeure (not really sure if the term applies in this context?), ensuring business continuity etc.
Though the example quoted above is rare, other ‘human’ challenges, unique to offshoring do surface occasionally. Most service firms have developed policies and guidelines to ease the pains of expatriate/international staff but even an excellent policy and flawless execution is meaningless without the ‘personal touch.’ As Phillips puts it succinctly “He survived his wounds and grief to celebrate. I urge managers to do the same at work. Grieve with your coworker. Grieve personal tragedies and professional setbacks. … And celebrate as well.”
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