Communication Skills for IT and IS Professionals

Introduction: Communication as a Core IT Competency

Finneran (1994), as cited by Becker, Insley, and Endres (1997), stated that communication has become a necessity even for the most technically oriented personnel. As an example, he mentioned employees who provide user support and who require non-verbal and interpersonal skills in order to tailor their speech to the client's level of knowledge and understanding. The same author stressed the importance of presentation skills, which have become compulsory for technical employees.

Leitheiser's survey (1992) investigated managers' perceptions of technical, interpersonal, programming, and business skills. His research concluded that listening and writing were the most important competencies, and presentation skills also appeared near the top of the hierarchy (Becker, Insley, & Endres, 1997).

Other specialists have argued that communication has become critical for IT employees because of the decentralization of the information systems (IS) function. As a result, the centralized authority coordinating IS functions has disappeared, and IT employees have become responsible for interacting effectively with colleagues across different departments (Becker, Insley, & Endres, 1997).

Interpersonal Skills and the Teamwork Imperative

As Crockett and Pastore (1993) suggest, interpersonal skills have become essential as IS employees have evolved into "effective team players." This trend is clearly illustrated by Edward Schulman (1975), who, referring to the Integrated Semester course he teaches, emphasizes the importance of a socialization week during which students get to know one another and overcome ego and inhibition.

Organizations have recognized the value of synergy as well. To help ensure the success of a project, managers send the employees involved in its completion on activities such as a canoe weekend trip or a retreat to a remote mountain cabin. The rationale behind such initiatives is that by exposing all employees to the same challenging situation, the cohesive force that emerges among them will carry over into the framework of the project they must complete together (Becker, Insley, & Endres, 1997).

Researchers have also identified teaching methods that inadvertently encourage interpersonal hostility. In 1989, Simon observed that business schools did a commendable job of conveying technical information but fell short in developing students' communication skills — a finding that underscores the gap between technical training and professional readiness.

From Hardware to Software: The Human Element in Programming

Edward Schulman (1975) presents a compelling argument for the increased importance of communication skills in the IS field. He emphasizes that contemporary corporations have shifted their focus from hardware to software, the latter now representing the major expenditure of an IT firm. This shift has generated greater concern with program quality and programmer productivity — two goals that managers pursue by recruiting experienced professionals and training recent graduates.

Neither approach, however, has proved sufficiently effective, because managers have tended to overlook the human dimension of programming activity. Recruitment practices often rely on quantitative questions (e.g., "How many projects have you developed?") rather than qualitative ones (e.g., "Were those projects successful?"), leaving the social and interpersonal aspects of the work unexamined. As the Human Sciences and Technology Group (HST) has pointed out, the highest potential can be realized only by "studying and capitalizing on this human element and not trying to eliminate a certainty."

References

Becker, J., Insley, R., & Endres, M. L. (1997). Communication skills of technical professionals: A report for schools of business administration (Vol. 18, pp. 3–19). New York: ACM Press.

Gilberg, D. (2006). A CIO's guide to communication basics. Retrieved February 10, 2007, from

Guinan, P., & Bostrom, R. P. (1986). Development of computer-based information systems: A communication framework (Vol. 17, pp. 3–16). New York: ACM Press.

Nelson, R. R., Kathhan, M. W., & Cheney, P. H. (1991). Training, ability and the acceptance of information technology: An empirical study of IS personnel and end users (Vol. 13, pp. 20–32). New York: ACM Press.

Schulman, E. (1975). Continuing education of systems personnel: Improving communication across functional boundaries (pp. 58–71). New York: ACM Press.