Learning to Speak IT: OD Consulting within the World of Technology

The information technology environment is experiencing a talent crisis, and the actions needed to combat it fall into the OD consulting camp. A president of a 1.3 billion IT provider describes the situation as follows: "IT managers ask for a Ferrari, and then the IT specialists build and send back a beast of burden." She's describing the disconnect that often occurs between the performance requirements developed at the beginning of an IT project (through discussions and business process analysis with the client) and what comes out at the other end--the resulting system delivered to the client. Even if there is a common vision at the beginning, it tends to morph as it moves through enterprise architecture, software, hardware, and implementation.

The causes of this problem are complex, but the trouble revolves around different mindsets, lack of integration across the IT development process, and the absence of meaningful dialogue and alignment from one stage to the next. Given the complexity of today's technology, the emergence of huge contracts, the need to develop and manage enterprise-wide systems, and the fact that practitioners come from different educational and experiential backgrounds, it is tough to get an entire team on the same page. There is tension in the room when you get IT people who grew up in a rigorous engineering mindset together with those ingrained in the rapid, get-it-out-the-door mentality. This conflict leads to misinterpretation and "different mental pictures." The result? A beast of burden instead of a Ferrari.

At this point, OD consultants should be salivating. Conflict management? Dialogue group meetings? Everyone on the same page? Cross-functional structures across stages of the development process? This is what we do! As we have learned over the years, we need to first "talk the business" to get heard. Otherwise, we risk the danger of being labeled as one of those touchy-feely or woo-woo consultants. Consequently, if you master the IT lingo to gain access, you can begin to apply your OD consulting expertise to meet this challenge.

Tailoring solutions to IT personnel

Sandra Y. Jeffcoat and Miriam Grace, writing for the International Association of System Architects, indicate that IT professionals are more introverted than the average employee, collectively have lower needs for inclusion, and demonstrate higher levels of independent activity and objective decision-making. Consequently, leaders must deliberately create forums that align thought and encourage synergistic problem solving. In the IT environment, this would most likely not happen through normal interactions. One organization has instituted monthly alignment sessions in which participants (both internal and external) discuss project details, share insights, revisit performance requirements, test progress against the entire enterprise, make adjustments, and engage in immediate process improvement. Real work gets done at these meetings, and facilitators are creating a new culture and skill set for going about IT work. This results in outputs that meet customer requirements, stronger partnerships with customers, more contracts and follow-on work, improved reputation in the marketplace, increased respect among those with varying expertise and backgrounds, and met deadlines and schedules.

Using OD solutions

First, new competency models are needed that define and measure combination skills. These include both big picture thinking and detailed analysis, a combination of right and left brain skill sets, constant questioning and probing for enterprise-wide solutions, cross-functional dialogue, building energized teams, and continuous process improvement. Second, these behaviors must be hard-wired into the system and practices. Some deliberate actions include small-group dialog forums, pre- and post-learning meetings, flexible and frequent special assignments, identification of high potentials placed strategically within each project, hands-on leadership that influences the daily work, and supportive performance management and reward systems.

Third, new infrastructures are needed to organize people and assignments toward the required behaviors. For example, instead of silos there should be cross-functional work teams. Instead of assessment folks throwing requirements to the development folks, software throwing stuff to hardware, and hardware throwing to quality control and testing - teams from all stages of the process should work together to continually question and align what is being built, keeping client needs in mind.

Lastly, it is necessary to change the company language from "talking and discussing" to "questioning and dialogue." IT leaders and managers need to be able to put concepts into words, question assumptions across all aspects of a project, and bridge the distinctions in how people process information. Those of us in OD consulting know that what is needed here is true dialog: examining assumptions, asking questions, and creating shared meaning.