The Ayers Group passed its 30th anniversary landmark on August 31. Throughout its history, the firm has recruited on the tech side of business, tracking the evolution from data processing to information technology and from a back-office support function to one with a full seat at the table.
The Ayers Report marked the
occasion by sitting down with Bob Deissig, President of Staffing Services, and Donna Held, Managing Director of IT Consulting, to get their perspectives about how the IT workforce has changed and what HR management issues those changes are currently raising.
AR: What is the biggest change in the IT
population you’ve seen over the years?
BD: Technology has become the new American melting pot. The composition of today’s IT department is a long way from what we saw 15 or even 10 years ago. Diversity is a greater factor in IT than general business—at least for the moment.
DH: Since 1987, when I entered the field, there have been sequential waves of tech workers from the Philippines, Russia, India, China, and lately Russia again. Fewer and fewer American-born college graduates are going into technology—and, in particular, few women and minority members.
BD: I hope companies are looking down the road to what this means. Many of these professionals from overseas, particularly those from India and China, may very well return home as the standard of living improves in their countries. And, we’re not graduating their replacements.
AR: What kinds of issues is diversity in IT raising in your recruiting and consulting practices?
BD: The multicultural nature of IT departments certainly raises social issues. When the entire staff is from one cultural background, compatibility becomes even more critical than usual in hiring managers. There are issues such as historical national antipathies, and the fact that, culturally, some men have trouble reporting to women. Since most candidates don’t like to talk about biases and prejudices, we don’t always know how these issues are going to play out. Another issue is communication. Language barriers frequently impede the placement process.
DH: On the consulting side, clients increasingly are demanding that consultants have business as well as technological skills and experience. You have to demonstrate that you understand the context and environment. That means both grasping the nuances of an American organization and being able to communicate your understanding.
With such large international populations in IT, employment law, taxes, insurance, and more extensive background checking have become bigger factors than ever. HR may still be doing the hiring for most full-time IT positions, but on the consulting side, companies are using third-party managed solutions groups.
AR: How are you seeing diversity-related issues play out internally as you work with IT groups?
BD: What’s coming into play now is how you integrate this diverse workforce as it moves up the ladder. IT
professionals traditionally have been promoted into
management roles without significant—if any—training, often based on how effective they have shown to be technically. Add to that lack of preparation a different native language and culture, issues such as interpersonal relations and communications can be more acute. Additionally, we’re seeing more foreign-born IT professionals becoming the interface to the internal client or end-user by becoming business analysts and project managers. The ability to communicate clearly and overcome cultural differences in these positions is critical. I know our Organizational Effectiveness Consulting group is doing quite a bit of coaching as a result of these trends.
DH: Foreign-born managers often need coaching on U.S. employment law and what they can and cannot say in an interview. We have coaches who specialize in
multicultural transitions.
BD: Many of the organizations we work with place such a premium on diversity at the management levels; they are mandating that an individual cannot be hired unless the slate of candidates considered is at least 50 percent—and in some cases 75 percent—diverse. Some go further and specify what the makeup of the slate will be. The skills and experiences the candidates must possess remain at the highest standard levels, thereby making our job a very challenging one, but a job we are doing successfully.
Another recommendation we have made to clients when hiring senior managers is to consider how they are being integrated into the environment in order to provide them with the best opportunity for success. At a minimum, they should be assigned a mentor. And engaging an assimilation coach can have very positive results. It is an inexpensive way of maximizing a significant investment in a key hire.
DH: We have one American-born client who moved into a new position where he is managing a team in which every member is from India. The first thing he did was to take the team offsite for some work with a coach on team-building. Whether it’s an internal promotion or an external hire, both sides have to adjust in a situation like this.
When it comes to diversity, management can’t just hand down the policy. The objective has to be getting new people assimilated into the organization and getting the people who have been there to accept the changes in the work environment. You have to work on both the managers and the teams to make it work.
For more information about Ayers’ services, contact Bob Deissig (staffing), Donna Held (IT consulting), or Joan Caruso (coaching and other organizational effectiveness services).
