Thomas W. Ferratt

Aligning the IT human resource with business vision: the leadership initiative at 3M

Increasingly, business leaders are demanding that IT play the role of a business partner and a strategic enabler. In such an environment, IT human capital has assumed considerable significance. Insightful IT leaders recognize that the greatest impediments to success are often related to people rather than to information, technology, and systems. What is not quite clear to IT leaders, however, is exactly how to develop and leverage this human capital in support of business needs. The transformation of IT from a back-office support role to a strategic business partner requires new roles and competencies for IT leaders and professionals. Key challenges for IT leaders are to envision these roles and competencies and to develop and implement programs to translate this vision to reality. This paper describes the IT human resource vision that is guiding such a transformation at 3M-a large multi-product, diversified manufacturing firm (1998 sales:

IT Human Resource Management Configurations and IT Turnover: Theoretical Synthesis and Empirical Analysis

15 billion)-and focuses on the implementation of its leadership initiative. This initiative was instrumental in not only allowing 3M to develop needed skills and behaviors among its IT professionals, it also helped 3M evade an industry-wide recruitment and retention trend. The major conceptual models guiding the leadership initiative as well as implementation details are presented. Challenges encountered on the way and the lessons learned from the journey are discussed. 3Ms experiences provide opportunities for managers in other organizations to develop valuable insights regarding the management of human capital in IT.

Are information systems people different: An inverstigation of motivational differences

Increasingly, scholars and practitioners acknowledge that information technology (IT) human capital is a strategic resource and that its effective management represents a significant organizational capability. We use configurational theory to examine organizational practices related to the management of IT human capital. In contrast to much prior work in IT human resource management (HRM) that is focused at the individual level, our inquiry is focused at the organizational level of analysis. Building on strategic human resource management (SHRM) research in general and research on the management of IT professionals in particular, we examine the broad question: Are different configurations of IT HRM practices associated with different IT staff turnover rates? A multidimensional view of IT HRM practices is presented, based on prior IT and SHRM literature. We formalize hypotheses regarding the relationship of turnover with configurations of IT HRM practices grounded in prior theory and empirical research. Based on survey responses from 106 organizations, IT HRM dimensions and configurations are derived and the hypotheses are tested. A five-configuration solution, obtained via cluster analysis, includes two contrasting configurations consistent with two archetypes found in the prior literature. Specifically, the configuration with a human capital focus has lower turnover than the task-focused configuration, providing support for our first hypothesis. Although the hypothesis on intermediate configurations and their relationship with turnover is not supported, we discover and interpret three additional configurations that embody patterns of practices with unique emphases. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Enduring practices for managing IT professionals

Comparison of motivational patterns of information systems (IS) and non-information systems people in the same occupational group reveals no significant differences. This finding contrasts with prior writings. Conceptually, this study focuses on a more complete set of motivators of productive work behavior. Methodologically, it measures motivators with a constrained-choice checklist, samples employees from the insurance industry, and statistically tests for IS and non-IS differences within clerical/operations, technical/professional, and managerial occupational groups. Until further study shows otherwise, this study suggests that IS people are as motivationally normal while doing their job as other workers in their occupational group.

Are information systems people different? An investigation of how they are and should be managed

Assessing existing business practices to determine staff recruitment and retention capabilities.

The use of computer-based information systems by German managers to support decision making

This study, based on seven different samples involving 1005 employees, examines whether IS and non-IS people are or should be managed differently. How IS and non-IS people are managed is measured by three sets of managerial activities: (1) enriching the job, (2) attending to interpersonal relations, involving the employee, and reinforcing work behavior, and (3) attending to production and targeting work behavior. Two research questions are asked: (1) Do work-unit environments differ for IS and non-IS people? (2) Is the relationship of work-unit environment to productivity different for IS and non-IS people? The findings of this study support the conclusion that IS and non-IS employees at the same occupational level are not and should not be managed differently.

Information technology use by managers in Greece to support decision making: amount, perceived value, and satisfaction

We surveyed German managers to investigate their use of information technology (IT), including their perception of the value provided by computer-based information systems (CBIS) and their satisfaction with CBIS in supporting decisions. Participants were predominantly male, the majority were older than 45, most had taken two or more college computer courses, and over 90% were middle and top-level managers. They represented a variety of functional areas. Results show that these managers were relatively heavy IT users, with over 10 h of use per week. Overall, there was a significant correlation between the amount of use of IT and perceived value of the CBIS, as well as between satisfaction with and perceived value of the CBIS. Hypothesis tests for task-technology fit (TTF) showed that the greatest TTF was related to resource allocation, evaluating alternatives, identifying problems, and making short-term decisions. For middle and top managers, information reporting systems (IRS), which provide regularly scheduled reports, had greater TTF than more flexible inquiry and analysis systems, such as decision support systems (DSS).

Beyond stereotypes of IT professionals: implications for IT HR practices

Abstract This study developed a profile of managers of corporations in Greece, focusing on the amount of IT use and the value of and satisfaction with computer-based information (CBI) in making decisions on planning, controlling, and operating. A detailed descriptive analysis of survey responses indicated that: (1) these managers used information technology (IT) as a valuable, everyday tool; (2) of Mintzbergs four decision roles, respondents rated the value of CBI highest for the resource allocator role; (3) all levels of management rated CBI the highest in supporting the evaluation step in decision making; (4) the highest use of CBI was for short-term decisions; (5) computer-based information systems (CBIS) were more valuable to the managers mental model for guiding planning, controlling, and operating decisions than for forming or revising the managers mental model of the corporation; and (6) first line supervisors and information systems (IS) managers were most satisfied with CBIS.

Achieving Success in Large Projects: Implications from a Study of ERP Implementations

IT professionals are complicated---managers need to go beyond stereotypes to truly understand them.

Swords and plowshares: Information technology for collaborative advantage

Executives in charge of large projects must decide how to spend their energies, even though typically they are not trained to manage such projects. We have derived two implications for managers based on prior research: adhere to the fundamentals of project management and unearth the best practices for large-project success. Through a study of more than 70 enterprise-resource-planning (ERP) projects, we have investigated our hypothesis that greater success in implementation is related to greater adoption of the best practices. For most of the participants in our study, our hypothesized model holds. For some, however, careful deviation from this model also proved successful. Additional implications we have derived include recommendations to specify a model of the project outcomes, understand the factors that make a project large and risky, and include a focus on managing large projects in executive education and development.