I read the article ?Valuable tips for managing IT ‘mavericks’? with interest.
In spite of the self-proclaimed supremacy, I am, thanks to my experience with a maverick, not convinced that the mavericks should be encouraged. I am elaborating reasons for my conviction that the mavericks should be kept out of project teams, preferably from the company.
The mavericks have a specialised knowledge of any one functional/ technological/ operational area under a specific situation. It does not necessarily mean that they are superior to all others in intelligence or competence. But they suffer from such a misconception and want everybody around them, or the company as such, to believe it.
Not following company rules or norms is only a manifestation of such an arrogant attitude. As for flexible timing and casual clothing are concerned, it is desirable for everybody and not only for a mad hatter. But the maverick believes that only he is entitled to such concessions. If everybody in the company is given such latitudes, the maverick will want something more, above and beyond others. It is a kind of psychological sickness of need to feel privileged, and a need to show off to others that he is privileged; not a genuine personal need.
Tolerating a maverick in any form will have a number of ill effects on the company culture. The disciplined employees will feel greatly de-motivated. At least a few will start acting like mavericks. If the company can accept one, why not me? Those who can not act maverick, will start a job hunt. The productivity of disciplined guys will go down to such a level that the company will go sick. Every body does not need to feel privileged. But no one likes to feel underprivileged. If a company can afford to have more equal among equals; and can afford to alienate every body else, then it is a different issue.
Taking the specific instance of Tom, I am not to believe that he is the only person in this world who can ?connected the firm’s myriad disparate VPNs, EDIs, and IP systems, including ones at the company’s overseas branches?bringing hundreds of employees together on one system?. He did it in that company, because he was there. Perhaps someone who is not in the company could have come up with a smarter solution. I believe that the only reason, others could not manage, after he was shown the door, was that Tom did not maintain any documentation for what he did.
This is an old tactic of the mavericks. Even if they do something they have learnt in the process of their employment in the company, or due to some specialised training given by the company, they make it a point to avoid documentation, at least any useful one. They play not on intelligence, but on non-recording of information. If the records are not kept, any activity started by someone, becomes very difficult for another person to follow through; this is more relevant in technological situations. This highly unprofessional attitude is extremely dangerous to be encouraged. But the mavericks feed on it.
The solution is there to deal with such situations, everybody knows it, but we assume it will not happen in our company. Implement quality processes and procedures. Have a strict procedure of documentation and records. If Einstein?s theory can be understood, through documentation by millions, so can be Tom?s architecture.
With respect to the five ?rules? to manage mavericks, these five are golden rules for managing all the good and performing technology resources. As for non-performing resources, why should be there at all.Only the mavericks need not be given the benefit of these rules.
However, assuming that a maverick?s technology is so very original and exceptional that it can not be understood by any mortal being other than himself, it is better to pay him twice his original package for a few days and keep him away from poisoning the company atmosphere. The Total Cost of Ownership of mavericks on the company payroll is very much higher.