By Gemma Simpson, 12 April 2007 09:30
NEWS
From programmers to CIOs, the IT workforce needs to buff up their non-technical skills if they are to be seen as a driving force in business.
Too often, IT is viewed in isolation and not as the driving force behind business even though technology professionals should be more respected for the contribution they make, according to Cliff Lineker, head of professional products business unit at the British Computer Society (BCS).
Lineker told silicon.com IT execs need non-technical skills - such as management and leadership skills - as well as computing ability.
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In the past, Lineker said, CIOs have failed to reach the boardroom and IT professionals need to understand how their knowledge and expertise in technology can help drive the business.
The BCS is offering a chartered qualification - run in partnership with the Institute of Directors - to help the IT crowd improve their soft skills and understand how to become a company director.
IT people are just as ambitious as anyone else but what they have lacked is the information about how to make that next step up to become a director, Lineker added.
More than two-thirds (69 per cent) of organisations do not use a professional development scheme for their IT managers, according to a study from the BCS.
Comments
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1. Nick Cole
This is a long recognised problem. Though it isn't as simple as blaming the techies for not understanding the business. All too often they do but from a different angle. Bringing in lateral thinking or wider non-core expertise is always the key to better business performance but unfortunately too many business leaders will not trust or allow their techies to get involved. Perhaps there is the fear on the part of the incumbents that a potential competitor has different or new skills that they lack.
It is called protectionism, which has been around since time immemorial. Fear of the new or novel or an outsider, or because it is different is a basic human trait and impossible to eradicate - unfortunately!