| In Asia, as elsewhere,
technically competent people are very hard to find, and once found, hard
to keep. This issue is especially true in companies where management tends
to be authoritarian and where there is little delegation of real power and
influence. By power, I don't necessarily mean managerial power, but power
to do one's job and to make decisions that affect one's work life.
Many
managers have no clue as to what motivates an IT employee. They assume
that the wage is the primary motivator, not so. All over the world, these
employees move to gain experience and influence, not necessarily for more
money. Now, don't get me wrong, if management neglects to keep pace with
wages, these people will go, but money is not a main theme.
The main
theme is work environment! What is work environment? Some managers have
accused me of trying to nail jelly to a wall!!! Environment is the package
of technical goodies, projects, policies and regulations that make the
workplace interesting and at times even fun! Yes, fun! The environment
has two other critical elements, freedom and caring / understanding management.
If managers can put this sort of package together, then IT folks will
stay around, that is... as long as their shills are being used at the
cutting edge. Which adds another dimension -- change. It folks want to
be involved at the edge of their capabilities. When the design phase is
over, they are not content to stay around and maintain the system--not
for long anyway.
So
there is no mystery to what your IT employees want. The problem is, that
few management teams can deliver. They are too steeped in past command
and control practices. They are afraid to let go of real responsibility.
This problem, then, will be with us for some time to come.
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