Effective Personnel Management in Information Technology - Coursework Example

The profession that I would choose after completing my professional education would be to lead an Information technology project team. Information technology is the technological realm which deals with the use of computers and computer based programs for the conversion, protection, processing, transmission and retrieval of information. In short, it can be defined as the use of computers and software to manage data (About.com, 2009). This industry is highly booming in comparison with the other conventional technological industries. Though the industry holds professional scope both in the fields of hardware and software, I would like to join a job with a profile of a software team leader. Such a team would be managing projects from a remote station which would be realistically implemented in a different corner of the world. Such a job of this nature where I would be a team leader responsible for managing projects from a remote station also requires basic knowledge and information about doing the job correctly. As a team leader, one of the responsibilities would involve mentoring the members of the teams to access information that can help them to execute their duties. There would be need to identify at least five sources to get information relevant to the job which can be free as outlined below. The field of Information Technology (IT) is dynamic, hence it is constantly changing everyday where new innovations are taking place on a daily basis which ought to be carefully monitored. The team members should stay updated with these changes taking place in the field. Such information can be readily available from different, reliable sources which can greatly benefit the workers to gain the much needed knowledge in executing their duties. Such kind of information can be easily accessed from public libraries, professional associations, specialist website search engines, DVDs as well as trade journals. It should be noted that inspiration and motivation of the team towards a common goal would also be integral in this job profile so as to earn trust in the team. Empowering the team members with the relevant information plays a pivotal role in capacity building as a way of motivating and inspiring the team members. In most cases, knowledge is power and it can as well be gained from free information that can be acquired from public libraries. These are free and open to every members of the society where any willing person can get any information. The public libraries are very reliable in that even the most recent information can be accessed from newspapers, magazines and other publications. There are also textbooks which deal with specific information which can as well be relevant to the job which I would wish to pursue. A lot of free information can be accessed from the public libraries and this would certainly go a long way in capacity building among the team members. The process of capacity building of the members would boost their morale and bridge the gap in their capacities and would persuade them to work harder fully utilizing the information and knowledge they would gain from the public libraries. It would be therefore, important to inculcate a culture of researching and willingness to read among the workers. Effective employees should have proper understanding and knowledge on the technology involved in carrying out the job. Indeed, the advent of the internet brought about some attractive and useful features where any particular kind of information on any particular subject can be accessed from the internet through the use of specialist search engines such as Google. With Google, you can search and access any kind of information from the internet. For instance, the Directory of Open Access Journals has lots of stuff about computing, IT as well as software and can be accessed from http://www.doaj.org. This is advantageous in that all the workers with access to the internet can easily get any information pertaining to their field of specialisation. Specialised information is usually reliable because it deals with target subjects which characterise any particular job. This information would be specifically targeted at companies which specialise in computing hence relevant information would be available always to the workers who can use search engines. The knowledge of application of specific intervention techniques can as well be acquired from professional associations. However, this often requires staff training and development is an essential preliminary strategy to prepare the staff towards optimal empowerment (Utah State University, 2008). The workers urged to become members of professional associations and can be trained to look for technical information that will greatly equip themselves in executing their duties on their own. For instance, the Society for Software Engineers which can be accessed from http://sse.se.rit.edu/, has a wealth of technical information related to IT. One advantage of acquiring information from professional associations is that all the information would be specifically tailored to meet the professional standards set by the responsible professional bodies. Information related to IT can as well be accessed from DVDs provided by the company. Usually, it is the task of the company to source information that is meant to equip its staff members with relevant knowledge that can help them to improve their performance. Documentaries providing the technical as well as professional support information can be made available to workers at their workplaces especially in common rooms such as tea or staffrooms. Audio and visual presentation of information is often very effective in the dissemination of information to the targeted audience. DVDs offer some form of entertainment while at the same time educating the targeted audience. The workers can subconsciously consume the information provided to them while performing other tasks which is a major advantage. Viewing information from a DVD does not require much effort and concentration hence, they can be effectively used to disseminate any vital information about the company as well as professional conduct to the workers. Other than the technological aspect, the other key factor required in managing such a job would be the skill to source information which is vital in performing the job. It becomes the role of the team leader to source relevant information that can be easily accessible to all the workers. Trade journals can also be considered as another source of information as they particularly provide technical information that is tailored to meet the challenges of the IT profession. Usually, a company registers or subscribes to become a member of certain trade associations which offer periodical journals that are meant to equip the members of its association. When the company subscribes, these journals can then be made available for free for all the internal workers where they can be displayed in places such as the main reception area where anyone can have access to them. Trade journals are advantageous in that they offer specialized information in all their bulletins. These are specifically targeted at providing technical or any other relevant information with regards to the field of IT. These are often reliable sources of information as they are publications which are periodicals where updated information would be published in each edition. The major contributors of the articles published in most cases are the captains of industry and most of the data and surveys are drawn from the actual field which is likely to be a reliable source of information to a greater extent. The team as a whole and the leader in specific has vital roles in establishing and developing mutual trust with regard to the operations of IT which requires the knowledge of certain information. Inspiration, Integrity, Communication and Effective leadership contribute positively to the building of a cohesive team. The technological aspect of the upgrading process of information makes one suitable for the profile of an Information Technology team leader. The team leader ought to facilitate the acquisition of information to all the workers. Over and above, it can be concluded that this IT industry is highly booming and is very dynamic in comparison with the other conventional technological industries. To be able to keep pace with the ever increasing changes taking place within the field, it is imperative that relevant information should be readily available for different workers to access it in such a way that they will keep themselves abreast with the changes taking place in the industry. This information can be accessed from various sources as outlined above and these sources are often considered as relevant as they often strive to keep up to date information about all the current changes taking place in the field of IT. References About,com, “Information Technology - Definition and History”, http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/careersintechnology/p/ITDefinition.htm, ( accessed 27 January 2009) MSH & UNICEF ,Strategies for Developing an Effective Team, 1998, MSH & UNICEF, 18 Oct 2008, http://erc.msh.org/quality/ittools/ittipstm.cfm Utah State University, “Staff training: Preliminary Strategies”, 2008, Utah State University, 29 January 2009, < http://www.usu.edu/teachall/text/behavior/LRBIpdfs/Straining.pdf> Randhall, S. Schuler et.al, Effective Personnel management, 5th ed, New York: West publishing, 2006, 385 Ashwatappa, K. Human Resource and Personnel Management, Tata McGraw-Hill: NewDelhi, 2004. Read More