Techie charm school?
August 22, 2008 by Valerie HelmbreckPosted in: Communication, IT employment, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views
At the risk of re-opening a very large can of worms, there’s more news on the techie-as-a-social-creature front this week.
The much-read business periodical “BusinessWeek” reports that mega-corporation Kimberly-Clark recently ran a finishing school of sorts for its IT team.
According to the story by Ben Livisohn, the school was intended to teach the company’s IT team the finer points of “corporate interaction.”
Read: Talk nicely and intelligibly to others in the company.
The two-day seminar resulted from an IT shakeup at the company that started about a year ago when Kimberly-Clark outsourced about 80% of its tech needs.
The 800 or so tech workers who survived the purge got a new job description: Transmit IT knowledge to the business folks. The problem: The two groups don’t speak the same language. The solution: Teach the technical crowd to speak jargon-free English. (Of course, this would be easier than teaching technology to the business folks, right?)
The curriculum included tips on “relationship building” and dressing better.
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Tags: BusinessWeek, charm school, social skills, tech workers
August 26th, 2008 at 11:33 am
So, Kimberly-Clark’s IT staff was all NERDS?
August 26th, 2008 at 11:59 am
I have news for the ‘business folk’ – if you work with technology, the least you can do is make an effort to become familiar with the box sitting on your desk. I’ve worked in a few law firms and most people don’t even know what their desktop is – how does one explain that sort of thing without sounding condescending? Or the best description – my thingy isn’t working…try troubleshooting that without a chuckle.
Also, if the business folk would say please and thank you – instead of yelling from the minute you answer the phone or walk in the office we IT people wouldn’t always be on the defensive.
There’s only so much disrespect anyone should need to tolerate on the job. IT gets an unfair share.
August 26th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Cheri:
Excellent points all. Respect on all sides of the relationship is important. But for a lot of folks, technology is more confusing than magic or the appeal of Paris Hilton. How does an organization encourage users to learn the basics of a computer system? What’s the carrot or stick management can use?
August 26th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Cheri,
I think your response is an excellent example of why it’s not a bad idea for some techies to go to “charm school”. I certainly understand that there may be some frustration when dealing with less than tech-savvy users. God knows, I deal with my share. I also know, however, when a mechanic starts talking car jargon to me, my eyes glaze over. About the only think I can change on a car is the radio station.
We all have our areas of expertise and we also have areas where we are clueless. I personally find it helpful to use a lot of analogies when explaining technical issues to non-technical people. This way they may grasp some understanding and dont feel as those they’re being talked down to.
Most are appreciative. When tech people use jargon to sound as though they have a PhD in astrophysics, they fall into every geek-like stereotype ever conceived.
August 26th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I see both sides. As an IT manager, I am at times called upon like a super hero, I’m contacted by phone calls (before I’m even at work) and yells across the office. I’m needed in desperate times of need but when something goes bad or isn’t fixed properly, I’m blamed. And some times I don’t get the praise or thanks I deserve.
I think alot of IT professionals are treated as machines with little respect. I remind people that I’m their only hope so they need to respect me and be patient. Business professionals should have training on something like that. I get thank you’s now and feel better with my completed work.
I am one of those IT guys that can communicate and explain what I’m doing to the user in “English” and for 1) they feel good learning something they didn’t know before, and 2) they can say “Hey my outlook is freezing again, is my .pst file too big again?” instead of “hey, my thingy isn’t working but it was yesterday!” ;D
Technology is getting so big and its a part of everyone’s life’s so my co-workers want to know whats going on with their PC’s and why is does this and that, they are curious now instead of wanting a quick fix to continue. Its like going to the Dr. and he just prescribes meds with out explaining your condition and what will the drugs do, I end up not asking the right questions or getting blown off…
August 26th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Valerie – in response to your question –
“How does an organization encourage users to learn the basics of a computer system? What’s the carrot or stick management can use?”
Last time I checked, it was called an employment application, or job interview.
In this day and age, it is not unreasonable to require that an employee have a working operating knowledge of the equipment they will be using on a daily basis. Would you hire a receptionist who didn’t know how to use the phone?
The long and the short of it is, if an applicant does not have the skills – computer, phone, interpersonal, or otherwise – required for the job, don’t hire him/her.
And before the non-technical people jump down my throat, note I included INTERPERSONAL skills too. If you want IT staff to be able to relate to non-technical people, stick to your guns and make that a required skill for the job. If you don’t stick to the criteria when hiring, don’t be disappointed if not all your hires have the skills you want them to.
August 26th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Eldrick: Good analogy on the doctor visits. Knowing how things work is a great gift. Tha knowledge is power — power that can be used wisely and well or to bully other people who don’t know as much. When the user feels at a disadvantage because they don’t know the secrets of IT, they can get defensive and hostile; when the tech feels disrespected and taken for granted, the same can happen.
But think of it this way: If the user knew as much about IT as the technician does, they could fix their own computer. But they can’t. So in the end, the user needs the technician and the technician needs the user.
A little respect on both sides probably wouldn’t hurt. Agreed?
August 27th, 2008 at 11:35 am
I’m an HR professional. I was a network administrator years ago, I still loves computers / technology and I speak “Geek” fairly well. Frankly, I think we all need to go to “finishing” school. Mutual respect is a must in the work environment, regardless of the area where one works. When egos gets involved, when people are into gaining control and power for their own purposes, when they start looking down on others who don’t know the sames things they do, when they start trying to make others look bad so they can feel superior, emotions get involved and things get out of hand. No one enjoys being disrespected and made to feel stupid.
While people sometimes yell and get upset when they need help with a computer problem, I think that’s very rude and unprofessional. While some technical people tend to act like everyone else in the world is stupid because they don’t understand how computers work, I think that’s very rude and unprofessional. Neither is acceptable behavior at work! Valerie said it well.
We all have our place. We all contribute in different ways. Communication is always a challenge. Using analogies, putting ourselves in the shoes of another to consider their point of view, using a more “user-friendly” language, all of these things can help tremendously. And a little respect goes a long way.
August 27th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
R.B. — nice to hear from someone who’s visited both sides of the fence. Yes, I agree that mutual respect is what’s needed, but everyone should probably remember that the only behavior you can really control is your own. Staying calm and respectful — even when all hell seems to be breaking loose — can be a skill worth cultivating. It doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but we can all learn — I think:)