Computerworld - You Cant Always GUESS what they want -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 1/10/2005
Last Visited: 8/25/2007
A fast-growing part of Ken Erdner's IT group was running out of office space, so he moved them into a new area separate from the rest of the department.But Erdner failed to ask the employees what they thought, and that proved to be a mistake.He was going for comfortable and productive; the group felt isolated and resentful.
Luckily, Erdner, vice president of technology and information services at Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. in Thomasville, N.C., communicated well and often with his group, and they made their feelings known.
But his experience points to an IT reality: Managers may think they know what IT workers want, but often they don't.
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Erdner has noticed other changes.IT people used to jump from job to job, he says, but now they look for strong companies that will support them over time."I think IT employees in general are looking more long term," he says.