The Pinoy IT Manager

Last saturday our IT professor gave our class a case entitled The Pinoy IT Manager. He suggested that after the reading the case we give suggestions or solutions to the problem of the main character and why not post it on a blog :)

The case tells about an experienced Pinoy IT manager, Mr. Emerson Siscar, who has been in the IT industry for 15 years and had worked for various firms both local and abroad. Last year he was assigned to head the newly formed IT Operations Group of a prominent educational institution. The group's manpower count increased to almost 50 and support IT services that the institution relies on.

However, after a few months, the technical staff started to resign one by one which affected the provision of the IT services. The reason for such resignations was the problem in the salary. The HR director may not be able to improve the salary offering because such will cause disruption in the organizational salary scale.

Aside from the problem in the staff, the budget for the OT department was reduced this year, but the IT requirements increased. Mr. Siscar is also required to provide enterprise systems from computer units for the various offices. It seems that Mr. Siscar is being hurdled by these challenges...now what can he possibly do?

The following steps may help Mr. Siscar with his problems in terms of his staff:

First, he may re-assess the root cause of the problem. The staff says it is the salary offer which drives them to resign, but the question is, is it really the only cause?  Probably the manager can make a further background check and find if other factors like personal problems, low motivation, other work-related problems, and so on. He should talk to his staff maybe on a one-on-one basis and list all the information. After all a manager is not just a leader but also a motivator.

Second, if let's just say the real reason is indeed a salary problem, he may explain to his staff the the condition and the situation of the whole department relative to the organization's salary scale. He may want to justify the reason why the institution may not be able to provide a salary increase at the moment

Third. After getting all the feedback that he need, Mr. Siscar may review the functional requirements of the department.  Together with HR, he should thoroughly prepare a job description and job qualification needed, and study the appropriate salary scale for which Mr. Siscar will make a comparative analysis on, relative to the institution's budget on salary. These information may guide him in scouting for new applicants should he and the HR deparment have plans of hiring new employees.

Fourth,after thorough assessment of the the functional duties needed, jobs must be properly distributed according to the employees' capabilities. This is to avoid unnecessary workload or confusion on their tasks requirements.

Finally, with his vast experience Mr. Siscar may conduct trainings to his staff and let them understand the importance of goal setting and vast changes in the environment especially in technology. This will help all of them do a reality check of what is going in the institution as well as in their surrounding. 

I am confident that Mr. Siscar, being a first-rate Pinoy IT manager that he is, will somehow get over these situations and not under. Changes may come from the outside forces, but what is important are the unchanging values instilled in him that will help him make proactive decisions and make appropriate changes happen.