Part Time Job
Scott Anthony over at Harvard Business Review has a great article on the dangers of trying to get too much out of your existing staff by asking them to take on innovation as a part time job.
In the IT management realm this has become an epidemic of sorts. Very few IT departments have dedicated project engineering or implementation staff. As are result we typically ask our operations staff to learn the latest new product, implement it and hold them accountable for delivering the much needed innovation our organizations require. Oh and did I mention, they need to keep the lights on while they do that?
The key here is that while we all want to be a super hero, we all unfortunately have a day job. When we assign innovation to staff who are already busy, we are essentially compromising on quality, timing or something else. And that means that ulimately we are compromising on the future of our organizations.
So next time they want a superhero, remind them that even Batman had a day job.
Michel Labelle is IT director for Global Container Terminals. He has over 20 years of industry and consulting experience at various organizations. Prior to this position, Labelle served as director of infrastructure technology with TSI Terminal Systems Inc, where he was responsible for the IT operations, infrastructure and support teams. His duties included the ongoing management of server, network, and voice and data communication activities. With a background in IT risk management and IT forensics or multiple organizations, including Auditor General of Canada and Transport Canada, Labelle brings a rounded approach to IT operations. Labelle has served on the federal Canadian Critical Infrastructure Protection Committee and is active in promoting digital civil liberties. A regular contributor to IT World Canada and other industry publications, he has written for MacWorld, IT Architect, Network World and Network Magazine, and has been a featured speaker at VMWorld, IP4IT and the MISA conference. He trained at Heritage College in computer science with qualifications in project management, systems design, and voice/data communications systems deployment.
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