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Have you played a role in facilitating peer mentoring on your team? What other advice would you offer IT managers who are looking for the best ways to effect knowledge transfer?
it's in my job description to impart my skills. I've certainly never had any formal training on how to do it, though I seem to have some ntaural talent for those who are interested in learning from me. Even if it's how not to make the dumb mistake he just made.
It's usually been more mentoring from a technical point of view though and some operational practices, this is how this gets done here sort of thing.
Certainly I try to get the expectations over early.
One of the first things I try to get across is I expect them to disturb me when they are stuck!
The first time I mentored I took that as a given and the poor bugger was sat in a corner for two days sweating because he wasn't sure which way I wanted to proceed.
Next thing I learnt was making sure they've understood what's expected of them. That certainly isn't a given.
Doing inhouse training courses, I've been supported to the extent that it was a specific task I was assigned, other than that never.
It's usually been more mentoring from a technical point of view though and some operational practices, this is how this gets done here sort of thing.
Certainly I try to get the expectations over early.
One of the first things I try to get across is I expect them to disturb me when they are stuck!
The first time I mentored I took that as a given and the poor bugger was sat in a corner for two days sweating because he wasn't sure which way I wanted to proceed.
Next thing I learnt was making sure they've understood what's expected of them. That certainly isn't a given.
Doing inhouse training courses, I've been supported to the extent that it was a specific task I was assigned, other than that never.
In my experience (15 years working with fortune 500 companies and many smaller shops) the main reason we're hired to develop mentoring programs is to improve the work environment and, with that, productivity. The most successful people know that if they're good at transferring knowledge they'll be more valuable over time. They'll be able to affect quality, budget, and dates. That makes them a key player.
Managers at all levels tell me that when they have an employee who actively supports his or her teammates, then they're the last to go in a layoff. Those who hunker down and have the "knowledge is power" approach are the first to go. The technology changes so fast that they'd rather make a long-term investment in a team player than hold on to a short term skillset that will be out of date soon anyway...
Managers at all levels tell me that when they have an employee who actively supports his or her teammates, then they're the last to go in a layoff. Those who hunker down and have the "knowledge is power" approach are the first to go. The technology changes so fast that they'd rather make a long-term investment in a team player than hold on to a short term skillset that will be out of date soon anyway...
The author of this article has left out some of the most important ways IT managers can support knowledge transfer. Without these, this article is a good one for 1996, not 2006.
#11: Make your mentors feel secure
People who are not in fear of losing their job will much more readily help and teach others. Don't ask them to do it for "love". Give your chosen mentors the equivalent of 5 years' salary in stock grants that become vested immediately if they are ever laid off.
#12: Don't bring out your "knowledge transfer" program right before the secret layoff that everyone knows about
Without exception, every management-sponsored "knowledge transfer" program that I have ever witnessed has always been a precursor to a layoff of at least some of the mentors. No exceptions. Ever. Your smart employees should be wary and skeptical. Bring out your mentoring program when there is no possibility of a layoff.
#13: Completely and permanently renounce offshoring and onshoring
Your IT staff have always had good reason to be suspicious of any of your "knowledge transfer" programs (see #12). Today, with mass offshoring and onshoring, they have every reason to be cynical about it and refuse to participate. If you want to encourage "knowledge transfer", you MUST completely and permanently renounce offshoring and onshoring. And, you must get your CEO to publicly state this policy (that is, to the stockholders, in the Wall Street Journal, not just in a "company private" e-mail).
#11: Make your mentors feel secure
People who are not in fear of losing their job will much more readily help and teach others. Don't ask them to do it for "love". Give your chosen mentors the equivalent of 5 years' salary in stock grants that become vested immediately if they are ever laid off.
#12: Don't bring out your "knowledge transfer" program right before the secret layoff that everyone knows about
Without exception, every management-sponsored "knowledge transfer" program that I have ever witnessed has always been a precursor to a layoff of at least some of the mentors. No exceptions. Ever. Your smart employees should be wary and skeptical. Bring out your mentoring program when there is no possibility of a layoff.
#13: Completely and permanently renounce offshoring and onshoring
Your IT staff have always had good reason to be suspicious of any of your "knowledge transfer" programs (see #12). Today, with mass offshoring and onshoring, they have every reason to be cynical about it and refuse to participate. If you want to encourage "knowledge transfer", you MUST completely and permanently renounce offshoring and onshoring. And, you must get your CEO to publicly state this policy (that is, to the stockholders, in the Wall Street Journal, not just in a "company private" e-mail).
If the knowledge transfer program is promoted by executive management rather than a regular part of your departmental mentoring efforts, I would start polishing the resume.
Resubmitting and connecting this thought to the correct thread:
In my experience (15 years working with fortune 500 companies and many smaller shops) the main reason we're hired to develop mentoring programs is to improve the work environment and, with that, productivity. Impending layoffs is very rarely the reason and if it is, everyone knows it.
In the end, the most successful people know that if they're good at transferring knowledge they'll be more valuable over time. They'll be able to affect quality, budget, and dates. That makes them a key player.
Managers at all levels tell me that when they have an employee who actively supports his or her teammates (or outsource partner as needed), then they're the last to go in a layoff. Those who hunker down and have the "knowledge is power" approach are the first to go. The technology changes so fast that they'd rather make a long-term investment in a team player than hold on to a short term skillset that will be out of date soon anyway...
In my experience (15 years working with fortune 500 companies and many smaller shops) the main reason we're hired to develop mentoring programs is to improve the work environment and, with that, productivity. Impending layoffs is very rarely the reason and if it is, everyone knows it.
In the end, the most successful people know that if they're good at transferring knowledge they'll be more valuable over time. They'll be able to affect quality, budget, and dates. That makes them a key player.
Managers at all levels tell me that when they have an employee who actively supports his or her teammates (or outsource partner as needed), then they're the last to go in a layoff. Those who hunker down and have the "knowledge is power" approach are the first to go. The technology changes so fast that they'd rather make a long-term investment in a team player than hold on to a short term skillset that will be out of date soon anyway...
"Managers at all levels tell me that when they have an employee who actively supports his or her teammates (or outsource partner as needed), then they're the last to go in a layoff. Those who hunker down and have the "knowledge is power" approach are the first to go. The technology changes so fast that they'd rather make a long-term investment in a team player than hold on to a short term skillset that will be out of date soon anyway..."
I stand by my post. My career is about twice as long as yours and I fully understand the value of mentoring for both the mentor and the mentoree. That's not the point. Things are very different in the USA today for software engineers. Your post spins far too rosey a picture for 2006 and is outdated (but not completely without value).
Managers at all levels tell you: Of course they do. They tell everyone else this also. And, there are still many thousands of direct and indirect employees in India employed by USA corporations today. Do you know how many H-1Bs are inside America today? About 500,000.
Last to go: Of course, Employees who help transfer the knowledge to the offshore or onshore (H-1B, L-1) people will be the last to go. Obvious.
Knowledge is power approach: Of course, employees who refuse to participate will surely go quickly. Also obvious.
First to go. Last to go. The important point is that you are going, going, gone.
Long-term investment? This is nonsense. There hasn't been such a thing as a "long term investment" in software engineers for many years now. Witness non-existent budgets for training, conference attendance, etc. This started long before offshoring and onshoring.
-----
USA software engineers need to take steps to reposition themselves. Jobs that primarily sit in front of a computer are going away, or going down. The good part is that the USA is a great place to do this. But, they must get out of the cube! Pure software enginering careers are under "assault".
The mentoring that software engineers need for themselves is how to get out of the cube (and out of pure software engineering). Not so bad really. Cube life is overrated.
I stand by my post. My career is about twice as long as yours and I fully understand the value of mentoring for both the mentor and the mentoree. That's not the point. Things are very different in the USA today for software engineers. Your post spins far too rosey a picture for 2006 and is outdated (but not completely without value).
Managers at all levels tell you: Of course they do. They tell everyone else this also. And, there are still many thousands of direct and indirect employees in India employed by USA corporations today. Do you know how many H-1Bs are inside America today? About 500,000.
Last to go: Of course, Employees who help transfer the knowledge to the offshore or onshore (H-1B, L-1) people will be the last to go. Obvious.
Knowledge is power approach: Of course, employees who refuse to participate will surely go quickly. Also obvious.
First to go. Last to go. The important point is that you are going, going, gone.
Long-term investment? This is nonsense. There hasn't been such a thing as a "long term investment" in software engineers for many years now. Witness non-existent budgets for training, conference attendance, etc. This started long before offshoring and onshoring.
-----
USA software engineers need to take steps to reposition themselves. Jobs that primarily sit in front of a computer are going away, or going down. The good part is that the USA is a great place to do this. But, they must get out of the cube! Pure software enginering careers are under "assault".
The mentoring that software engineers need for themselves is how to get out of the cube (and out of pure software engineering). Not so bad really. Cube life is overrated.
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