Human Resources

1. Human Resources IACT 918 April 2005 Glenn Bewsell/Gene Awyzio SITACS University of Wollongong

2. Overview • The IT section can often be considered to be a “company within a company” • But it is relatively small, under-funded and under appreciated • Since ‘people’ make up more than half of the network manager’s assets, how to obtain and keep the ones you need …

3. Resourcing the Organisation • Attracting the right people • Scarce skills ~ high demand • Highly mobile • Looking for new challenges • opportunities to learn

4. Resourcing the Organisation • Creating the right environment • Flexible ~ not bureaucratic • Innovative ~ Risk-taking • Challenging ~ continuous learning • Rewarding ~ not bureaucratic • Participative ~ consultative

5. Developing the Workforce • Professional development – generic skills • Customer interface skills • Negotiation skills • Report writing • Presentation skills

6. Developing the Workforce • Management training & development • Aligned to business needs & individual’s experience • Career planning ~ horizontal vs. vertical • Succession planning ~ management & technical • Continually updated

7. Developing the Workforce • Specific technical skills • On-the-job ~ coaching • Often outsourced • Continuous learning & self development • Fills gaps • Training tools • Interactive training techniques • Conventional aids ~ books, tapes, videos etc. • Resource centres

8. Developing the Workforce • Sponsored external development • On-going education ~ professional, academic, technical • Conferences • Seminars • Structured framework • Planned ~ systematic • Budgeted ~ resourced

9. Some Trends • Outsourcing of IT • Management of people issues vs. price & technical performance • Change Management ~ critical • Effective induction programmes

10. Some Trends • Flexible resourcing • Core vs. non-core skills • Use of variable resourcing models • Use of contractor/temporary labour • Retention of core skills • Franchising

11. Other important aspects of HR • Management of people issues vs. price &/or technical performance • “Branding” in keeping the right people • Corporate development • Training as a differentiator • HR often a key to winning business

12. The people you’ll need • Telecommunications Manager • Conceptualiser & visionary • Articulate & persuasive • Understand organisations problems & how communications tech can be applied to them • Able to grasp technical subjects but doesn’t have to be a ‘techie’ • Able to plan & make decisions

13. The people you’ll need • Designers & Implementers • Good understanding of communications systems & products • Creative & innovative • Project management skills • Verbal & written communications skills • Team player

14. The people you’ll need • Network operations staff • the ‘manufacturing’ arm • Service oriented • Strongly motivated to maintain the system • Good verbal skills with ‘customers’ • Able to swap between sections (say: network ops & computer ops) to spread skills and experience

15. The people you’ll need • Technical support staff • Understand hardware & software • Self-starters • Analytical problem solvers • Often have advanced technical education, frequently vendor based • Novel • Microsoft • Cisco etc.

16. The people you’ll need • Administrative support staff • Largely clerical • Some grasp of IT issues & jargon • Accounting & business administration skills

17. Staff Selection • Should you hire experienced outsiders? Or train up insiders? • For management, knowledge of organisation more important than tech, so perhaps internal? • For technical roles, knowledge of the organisation less crucial, so external? • Should some or even all of your telecommunications work be contracted or outsourced?

18. External Consultants • Keep up with rapid technological changes • Often use a vendor-based consultant • Be wary of vendor’s own agenda! • Check the individual consultant rather than just the reputation of their parent company • Determine their experience • Obtain a clear proposal and action plan (with costing estimates)