Is leadership in IT different from leadership in bussiness in general?

[deminjones]

i have been given an assignment at school with the topic (discuss the manament of IT professionals from the managers's viewpoint. Is leadership in IT different from leadership in business in general ) so I was hoping that maybe you guys out there can help me with some answers please i must do this assignment for my year marks.

[chanson]

First off I think this is an unfair assignment for your teachers to be giving out. I'm the CEO at a technology company and I have managed in both the financial and telecom sectors.

I think that the major difference is going to be from manager to manager and the answer is yes AND no. It is the same in a lot of aspects such as setting expectations, skill development, creation of positive work environment and corporate culture, corporate education(teaching the mission, vision, and bigger picture), etc. All of those things can apply in general business as well, but some may be more or less of a focus point depending on your company, your employees, your sector and so on. For example when i managed in the telecoms industry it was a customer service call center. I expected my employees to be ready to go awaiting calls 5 minutes prior to there start time. Where as if my techs start at 9 they may walk in the door at 9 or eve 9:10 and that isnt a big deal(to an extent, and most of the time they arent getting out when they are supposed to).

Also take into consideration how broad IT really is. Are you referring to web application development? Networking and infrastructure on an enterprises level? Software development? The list goes on and each one is really like its own sector. Different employees and companies with substantially different cultures operating completely opposite of each other. I employ an individual with a engineering degree in computer networking and in another area an employee with a computer science degree. They are two completely different beasts, and rightfully so, we treat them like two different beasts(beasts is not meant as a discriminatory term here either btw ;P).

SO maybe this is a bit to in-depth answer for the question, but it is the reality of it. YES it is different, but "business in general" is not a phrase that can be used accurately here. Print this off and take it to your teach. Tell him to reconsider the assignment and to give you a %100. Hope that helps!

Chris

[-Mike-]

Generally speaking having dealt with top level IT managers in the defense sector on a daily basis, there are basically 3 management styles that are most prominent in my experiences. Those who are placed in Management positions because they have a high technical knowledge of what needs to be done (These managers may or may not have the other qualities managers need to manage but can get the job done), Those who lead or manage by using their position of power to induce fear as a motivator, and Those that manage who have strong interpersonal skills and are very charismatic and motivate people to want to do a good job. I have found a lot of times IT managers tend to be very technically inclined by lack the interpersonal skills to manage conflict or the charisma to motivate at times. So from their view point, based on my personal experiences, they find it difficult to manage conflict where conventional "General Business" managers tend to have a more solid foundation on interpersonal skills to successfully manage conflict and promote harmony among those they manage. Again I know this is a generalization, and I'm sure there are arguments that contradict my viewpoint, but this has been my experience.