It is no longer a secret that in larger mid-size and large enterprise IT shops, unnecessary headcount still prevails. After all, a large staff is a notch in the belt of the IT executive who oversees this esoteric fiefdom. Often, IT staff are just there to...well, be there. They make the VP a VIP and are a reminder to the rest of the organization that there is power in headcount. After all, the more headcount, the more productivity. Right? Wrong. In many shops, 20% of the staff does 80% of the work.

This analyst has been around long enough to have seen and heard the activities the surplus headcount is engaged in: endless personal phone conversations, emails, IMs, and now, blogging. I could write a book about the soap opera sagas of some phone conversations to which I have been privy. You can't get this kind of entertainment elsewhere and for free. It's pruriently interesting, but it is also costing the business.

However, there are also those IT staffers who are the true heroes. They log the long hours, burn the midnight oil, and work the graveyard shift, weekends, and holidays. During the last 20 years, I have seen productive, efficient, and excellent IT staffers overlooked for promotions because their mangers wanted to hang onto them because they (i.e., the staff) made them (i.e., the managers) look good. Perhaps these IT staffers were not the best politicians. That is, they did not have time to chit-chat and parlay their way up the corporate ladder because they spent their time in the trenches trying to hold systems together with spit and gum, keep key business/mission-critical applications up and running, and keep the business in business. What a concept.

Are these sorts of behaviors mimicked in SMB IT shops? Certainly, especially in the leaner and meaner SMB IT shops.

First, I think we need to clarify what an SMB is. IBM, for example, has its own unique definitions of small, medium, and large businesses. Small businesses employ fewer than 100 people (all people, not just IT people), medium-sized businesses employ between 100 and 1000, and large enterprises employ 1000 or more. And there's the rub, because within the medium-sized organization, there are small, medium, and large denominations. And where the mid-sized business falls within this spectrum has an impact on the size of its IT shop. Some medium-sized organizations run very lean—IT staff of 10 or fewer—while others can employ over 100 people. This is important because it expands our concept of mid-size and debunks the myth that one mid-size fits all.

Back in the day, and still today, IT managers in small and mid-sized companies (and also in large enterprises) were promoted from the rank and file. Many were technically sophisticated but lacked the people skills to manage effectively. Result: Everyone was miserable, including the "manager," who just wanted to return to the tech life. Many IT techies are content to be just that: technical. They are not management material, nor do they want to be. They are as much out of their element as a biker in a beauty shop.

Larger enterprises often groomed the politically savvy for management positions, and usually they would get a stint in IT. Recall all the golden boys (sorry, there were few girls) that knew nothing about IT, were culled from the ranks of finance or operations (even sales and marketing), and then were plopped in IT just so that they could have the "IT experience," which usually lasted as long the "Star Trek Experience" at the Hilton in Las Vegas, but without the Borg.

The fact was/is that many traditional business concepts about careers and career paths just don't apply to IT. (They probably don't apply to the rest of the business units either, but that's their problem.)

There are, however, some novel and not-so-novel career concepts that actually have worked. How do you think the CTO evolved? Instead of promoting highly technical individuals into management positions and thus killing their spirits, larger enterprises now have two management tracks: the business track and the technical track. This enables the technological performer to advance and receive the perks that management receives, without the burden of having to manage people.

It seems that even in small and mid-sized (i.e., small, medium, and large mid-sized) companies, some basic strategies can be employed.

• Title/Career Track —In a five-person IT shop, a veteran staffer with excellent knowledge and skill but no desire to be the "manager" could be rewarded with a promotion to senior consultant or technology manager without the commensurate management responsibilities but with the commensurate respect. Junior staffers could aspire to such a position.
• The Private Office—While real estate is tight in any company, rewarding an excellent technical staffer with a private office, especially someone who really needs peace and quiet to perform his/her job, could increase morale and productivity.
• Bonus—Managers receive bonuses, and bonuses are tied to departmental performance. Yet, without the women and men in the department, there'd be no departmental performance, and unless the manager could "trip the light fantastic" or perform various legerdemains, there would be nothing for which to reward him/her. Hence, outlining goals for the IT individuals to achieve and rewarding with monetary compensation is another strategy for increasing productivity and quality and eliminating mediocrity.
• Continuing Education—Alas, CE is a big hitter in larger mid-size and large enterprises, whereas in the small and medium mid-size companies, it can be a budget burden. However, ongoing training of staff is required for an IT shop regardless of size if the business is to remain competitive. Carefully selecting staff and providing appropriate training are earmarks of good HR and management practices.
• Raises—Good employees deserve decent raises and pay that is competitive and commensurate with performance. Companies should remember that it is much less expensive to keep a good employee than to find, train, and maintain another.

Many companies also make the mistake of promoting teambuilding exercises in the form of after-work or weekend activities. And in many companies, those who participate get gold stars and often come by promotions more quickly than their co-workers who would rather go home to their significant others, children, and/or pets. In my humble opinion, it is better to dispense with all the extra-curricular activities, employ some of the aforementioned suggestions, and/or provide employees what they really want: more time to have a life.

Maria A. DeGiglio is President of, and Principal Analyst for, Maria A. DeGiglio & Associates, an advisory firm that provides clients with accurate and actionable information on business and technology initiatives. You can reach Ms. DeGiglio at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..