The dangers of asking too much of staff
Bob Weinstein
Published: 19 Jun 2002 11:19 BST
It happens more often than most chief information officers will admit, but consciously or unconsciously, tech leaders push top managers and employees beyond their limit.
The reasons are always the same: to comply with a chief executive officer's demanding requests; pressure to complete projects at or preferably under budget; and to keep up with an increased production schedule to meet customer demands. There has never been more pressure on chief information officers to get work done quickly, says Lawrence Alter, president of The Arthur Group, a career management company in Minneapolis.
"Because virtually every part of the company demands so much of IT, tremendous pressure is exerted on chief information officers to perform. Perfection is expected from the chief executive officer down," Alter explained.
"Inevitably, chief information officers transfer that sense of pressure down the ladder, and often the delegation is not handled diplomatically. Adding to the problem is slimmed-down IT departments operating with skeleton staffs."
Pushing doesn't get anyone anywhere
No one typically balks when asked the first or second time to do more than is usually expected. Two or three more hours of additional work a few times a week can be tolerated. Even an occasional Saturday is bearable if it gets an obnoxious but big-pocketed customer off of IT's back.
But everyone has a limit. What was considered dedication inevitably turns into a burden, and in the blink of an eye, a proactive, hardworking staff member is now disgusted, annoyed, and feeling very underappreciated. Staff may begin showing symptoms of burnout -- a sharp drop in productivity, increasing apathy, and even depression.
Paulo Matos, chief operations officer of Silverlink Communications, said that he's seen "the negative impact of chief information officers relying too much on key contributors to the detriment of their entire technical staffs." Silverlink is a voice-applications company for the healthcare industry.
Yet, it's not a simple issue, Matos stresses, as there are two sides to consider.
"On the one hand, chief information officers often single out only key contributors to push to the limit of endurance and stress. All major problems become their problems, and all key deadlines become their deadlines," he explained. "On the other hand, low-level contributors don't have the opportunity to become major players, since they were denied the unique learning opportunities afforded by handling tough technical problems." In this scenario, chief information officers spend a lot of time keeping key managers and high performers from "melting down," and at the same time, deal with employees who feel underappreciated and demoralised. "So, it's not just overworked managers and employees who are feeling the effect of burdensome workloads," he pointed out.
Alter says there are seven dangers that chief information officers must be aware of when overworking their managers:
- Loss of focus and failure to hold their staffs accountable for their actions or projects.
- Failure to manage others because of the demands placed on them.
- Mounting stress, which results in the inability to prioritise projects or project issues.
- Fear of saying "no," because managers are afraid to look bad and feel they have no choice, which heightens their burdens.
- Pushing staff beyond their limits. When overwhelmed with work, managers act more like drill sergeants than role models.
- Projects are completed late and are often of poor quality.
- Friction within the ranks. Managers spend a disproportionate amount of their time putting out fires, and they often resort to harassing or bullying their staffs.
So, how do chief information officers avoid overburdening managers and staff to keep harmony, and productivity, strong? Matos offers the following suggestions:
- Understand situations and prioritise work accordingly
Many crisis situations are not real crises, but the result of poor planning. A weekly or even a brief daily staff meeting could give managers the information necessary to properly prioritise the work. - Keep track of crisis events so patterns can be identified
Design a process that addresses the root cause of problems. If a lot of time is spent troubleshooting cabling problems in a data centre, for example, the problem may be a lack of a good cable-management process, documentation, and training. - Make sure you are delegating the right job to the right managers
Reinforce good work through recognition (both public and private). Let the employee/manager know that he or she is doing a great job and that those efforts are appreciated. - Concentrate on managers' strengths when giving assignments
Ask for help from others if you feel over-stretched and frustrated. Insist that your managers keep you aware of their frustrations, and conduct weekly meetings with your staff to air problems and discuss potential solutions.
By following Matos' suggestions, tech leaders, from the top down, can reverse the current management-burnout trend in today's enterprises and improve not only overall staff productivity, but also their own management stature within the organisation.
TechRepublic is the online community and information resource for all IT professionals, from support staff to executives. We offer in-depth technical articles written for IT professionals by IT professionals. In addition to articles on everything from Windows to email to fire walls, we offer IT industry analysis, downloads, management tips, discussion forums, and e-newsletters.
Did you find this article useful?
28 out of 61 people found this useful
- Share this article:
