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Hi Bill,
> > Yes, that's what I'm asking. Specific examples. I think I
> > understand the cost problem. I'd like some specific examples of
> > culture clash.
>
> Conversing with business folks in technical language, hygiene,
> overall appearance, apparent disdain for co-workers ("users"),
> approach to productivity improvement. More?
This is helping. To get closer, I think I'll try a different
approach: Tell me a few stories about these things. Tell me a story
or two about how some IT folks showed disdain for coworkers. Tell me
a story or two about how differing approaches to productivity
improvement created friction.
> > Can you give examples of how IT culture differed from that of the
> > rest of the organization, and of the friction that resulted?
>
> Is this the same question as above or different?
Same question.
> > One possible way to respond to the gap between supply and demand
> > is, "Gosh, we love what you IT folks have done for us! The
> > tremendous value youve created helps us to see so many
> > possibilities for how you can help us in the future! Thank you!"
> >
> > Why not that response? Why friction instead?
>
> IT folks began making more, much more, that folks with similar
> seniority levels. That breeds resentment in and of itself.
Interesting that people would direct their resentment toward the IT
folks, and not toward the managers who determine what to pay.
> Coupled with a perception that IT folks took the position that they
> deserved it because their work was somehow inherently more valuable
> (as opposed to being a demand-driven phenomenon) than that done by
> the folks performing the customer facing work, friction was probably
> inevitable.
Yes, I can see how that would be a problem.
What I'm seeing underneath all this is that non-IT folks are feeling
less appreciated than they were, or less appreciated compared to IT
folks. Hmmm. With an outsourced IT department, non-IT folks aren't
reminded so often of this (im)balance of appreciation. Hmmm.
What if users (and the users' direct managers) had more of a say in
what the IT folks services were worth to them? What if IT folks were
paid by their customers instead of by "the IT department?"
> > Suppose the business folks isolated themselves from the culture
> > clash
> > by inserting consultants between themselves and the IT department.
> > How would that compare with inserting the consultant between
> > themselves and an outsoured IT organization?
>
> In some cases that happened. Then the outsourcer pounds on the cost
> button.
So if you eliminate culture clash as an issue, you still gotta deal
with cost. I'm starting to see how XP might help with that. If XP
can lower costs enough, perhaps the overhead inherent in outsourcing
would become more apparent.
> > How do you see XP reducing the culture clash without resorting to
> > buffer-consultants and outsourcing?
>
> The on-site customer gets a chance to develop more than just a
> passing impression of the developers. Gets a chance to see them
> struggle, gets an appreciation of their work. It creates a
> situation where it's near impossible not to develop a relationship
> between the individuals. That differs greatly from the DUF
> situation where the analyst comes in, spends a little time with the
> business person, and then disappears until the software is "done."
I can see how these things would build a healthier "distribution of
appreciation." From the on-site customer's point of view, at least.
> Customer Intimacy wasn't happening. To the contrary, it was more
> like the antonym; Customer Enmity.
Can you see some of the things that XP teams do to directly address
that problem? Would your (potential) clients be interested in those
parts of XP?
> BTW, thanks for the use of the CTC terminology.
I think I used "Discipline of Market Leaders" terminology, not CTC.
Like you, I think DML is helpful here.
Dale
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