Transforming IT Culture: How to Use Social Intelligence, Human Factors, and Collaboration to Create an IT Department That Outperforms

Praise for Transforming IT Culture "Frank Wander knows what many CIOs have only sensed—the human factors of an IT culture matter far more than processes, hardware, or applications. His wisdom is at once simple and revolutionary, and he provides a 21st-century blueprint for high-performing IT organizations." —Lon Zanetta ,Retired CIO, Federal Reserve System "Technology leaders are quick to admit that the 'soft skills' of people management are often the hardest to master. In Transforming IT Culture, Frank Wander draws on his many successful years as a corporate chief information officer to provide an incredible resource for unlocking the creative talent hidden away in your IT department." —Maryfran Johnson , Editor in Chief, CIO Magazine & Events "We are entering a new era for IT organizations.It is an era defined not by technology or even process, but by the most important asset the IT organization has always had at its disposal: its people. Call it human-centric IT. It will usher in an era of exponential productivity for IT executives and leaders who embrace Frank Wander's call to action. If you are ready to become a true 21st-century IT leader, then Transforming IT Culture should be at the top of your reading list." —Charles Araujo , Founder & CEO, The IT Transformation Institute; author of The Quantum Age of IT: Why Everything You Know About IT Is About to Change "This book will unlock your thoughts so you can think differently and apply the concepts in a self-help type of way. It encourages you to analyze behavior and leverage these behaviors to transform the culture of your IT organization. I especially enjoyed the chapter entitled 'The Unseen Art and Emotion of IT'with comparisons to the art of music—a heartfelt tribute to the art of this great profession, given the many challenges it presents." —Pamela J. Stenson , Senior Vice President & General Manager, CIO Executive Council "Frank Wander shines a bright light on the most important element of success as a 21st-century leader—taking good care of our people and creating a social construct where they can collaborate and thrive. The lessons learned from experience and years of research into human motivation and behavior combine to provide a set of clear prescriptions for leading organizations that are relevant, whether you are focusing on IT or any other part of the enterprise." —Warren Kudman , VP & Chief Information Officer, Sealed Air Corporation

FOREWORD xi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii Introduction 1 The Passing of an Era 2 A New Era Brings a New Focus 3 A Quick Book Tour 6 Note 10 CHAPTER 1 A Shining Light: The Blind Spot Revealed 11 A Race to the Bottom 12 Human Understanding Enters the Workplace 13 We Have Been Taught Not to See or Feel 15 Unlocking Human Potential 16 Dawn of a New Productivity Model 17 Working Social 19 The Social System Is the Factory 20 Notes 21 CHAPTER 2 Corporate America’s IT Organization: Failure Is All Too Common 23 Still Broken after All These Years . . . 24 Unfortunately, the Truth Is Worse 29 If We Would Just Embrace and Trust Our People . . . 30 Offshore Outsourcing: A Deeper Look 33 Notes 36 CHAPTER 3 Workers as Machines: A Social Pathology 37 He’s a Good Hand 37 The Machine Age: Still Felt Today 38 Birth of Corporate Easter Islands 41 Our Human Resource Practices Remain Primitive 41 Selectively Continue the Past; Fully Embrace the Future 43 Notes 44 CHAPTER 4 The Unseen Art and Emotion of IT: The Acme Inc. Philharmonic Orchestra: Knowledge as Notes, Leaders as Conductors, Programmers as Composers 45 A Product of Mind and Emotion 46 Limitations of Language and Our Resultant Inability to Communicate 50 Social Cohesion and Conceptual Unity 52 And the Instruments Keep Changing 56 The Encore. A Callback. Bravo! 57 Note 57 CHAPTER 5 Case Study: An Unproductive State of Mind: Toxic Leadership and Its Aftermath 59 Toxic to Competitive Advantage 64 Conclusion 64 Note 66 CHAPTER 6 What Are We Waiting For? Applied Science at Work 67 Hawthorne Studies 68 Pygmalion in the Classroom 70 Empathy, Caring, and Compassion 71 Organizational Citizenship Behavior 74 Mood Is Contagious 76 Limbic System 77 Maslow: Humanism in the Workplace 80 Working Memory 84 Mirror Neurons 85 Other Thoughts 87 Notes 87 CHAPTER 7 Empathy and Compassion: The Socially Cohesive and Resilient Organization 89 The Toxic Handler: Empathy and Compassion in Action 90 Dysfunctional Organizations Have Less Time for Compassion 92 Empathy and Compassion: A Research Perspective 93 Notes 96 CHAPTER 8 Designing a Collaborative Social System: Working Social: How the Right Culture Unlocks Productivity 97 Designing Collaborative Social Systems 98 Why a Collaborative Social System Matters 103 Notes 106 CHAPTER 9 The Social Compact: Organizational Citizenship Behavior 107 Living the Values 108 Shaping IT: One Interaction at a Time 110 Courtesy Is Contagious 111 Giving versus Getting 119 Citizenship Performance 120 Notes 122 CHAPTER 10 The Servant Leader: Prosocial and Authentic 123 Opening Night 124 Using Social Intelligence and Caring to Lead from Below 125 Conducting Styles 127 Servant Leadership in IT: Giving Credit While Silently Helping Drive Group Success 128 Academic Views 131 Moving the Group from “I Get It” to “I See It” 133 Notes 135 CHAPTER 11 Social and Emotional Intelligence: The Organizational Canvas Meets the Social Paintbrush 137 Personal and Social Competence 138 Sogence in Action 140 Understanding Expression: A Social Skill from Our Past 142 Good Vibrations: The Right Social Sentiment Energizes a Performance 144 Notes 150 CHAPTER 12 Designing an Innovative Culture 151 Talent and Mood 152 The Human Factors 153 Build a Culture of Creativity 154 CHAPTER 13 Workforce Planning: Maximizing the Productivity of Your Talent—Today and Tomorrow 157 Workforce Planning Gap 158 Goals and Process 160 Context Diagram 161 Outsourcing and Offshoring 164 Notes 172 CHAPTER 14 How to Successfully Transform Your Organization: Putting It All Together 173 High–Level Outline 175 Best Practices in Detail 185 Conclusion 187 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 189 INDEX 191

FRANK WANDER is founder and CEO of the IT Excellence Institute, an organization dedicated to answering Peter Drucker's challenge to increase the productivity of knowledge workers. Prior to starting the Institute, Frank was CIO at Guardian Life for more than five years, transforming the culture and capability of IT to deliver business projects on time and on budget, across 90% of its portfolio. He is a highly sought-after speaker at leading IT industry events, contributes articles to CIO Magazine and Computerworld , and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal .