Welcome To The Shark Pool, Part 1

Welcome and thank you for joining me!

First of all I have to make a confession: Yes, I'm a geek and I've been working within IT business as a pro for more than a decade now. (Sounds like introducing myself to the Net-addicts Anonymous: 'Hi, my name is Gunter and I'm a net-addicted geek.') Anyway, that's the way it is. Over all I've been involved with IT related stuff for about 25 years now. Let's say I've seen some things out here. And overall I have to say that I like it.

Still. But who knows. As Bob Dylan already stated: 'The Times They Are A-Changin''.

Looking back on the years as an IT pro I sure subscribe to that line. And I have to say that I don't like what I see today. No, not everything's been better these days, of course not. But am I the only one who's struck by shiverings while looking at the working enviroment of the current times? (Though I hope that I'm not - who knows?)

I think that there have been only few changes to job postings all over the years. If there's a vacancy to fill in IT, employers ever since have been looking for a kind of swiss army knife, some kind of jack of all trades - someone bringing quite a number of skills (including the ability to walk on water, even in summer time) drawing just a single salary. One of the skills that have always been on those wish lists is the capacity for teamwork. Am I mistaken?

No, of course I'm not! You sure agree with me that the ability to work in a team ever since has been not only a "plus" but a "must have" - for some good reasons. Looking back I'm pretty convinced that the start-up I joined in my early years in IT only did succeed because (almost) everybody was able to work in teams. It's never been just a job to do. It's been hard work, but it was fun solving the problems we were facing. We had our focus on solutions within the IT department itself as well as in in co-operation with all the other departments. That's been our passion, that was what we were real pros in. We didn't really care who might take the credit for something! We were so passionate about making things work for our colleagues and for the company, it has been pure pleasure. We just did it. That was then.

Strange things happened later on. Like dark clouds gathering in the sky, the culture of teamwork changed to its worse. It appears to me that it's no longer about solutions and what's best for the customers. You may call me thin-skinned and maybe you're right (kind of, at least) - but it feels quite cold outside in day-by-day IT business. I may have been in, well, let's call them "suboptimal" places for the last years. That may be. But talking to my former colleagues I can't fight the feeling that this isn't about individual luck but more about decreasing manners, demoralizing thousands of highly qualified and skilled people. (That's not to say that I have that manny former colleagues. Those can almost be counted on the fingers of both hands.)

Today it is more and more about individaul credit. Sure, still teams are formed because forces need to be merged and concentrated to get and deliver best results (whatever that means in the long run). But more and more the habits within teams and in between team members have changed. We started to stalk each other, waiting for moments of weakness to step to the center of the stage. We try to elbow or way through to be the one who's stepping into the light by the end of a project, to be the one who raises the cheer. Even though that is not the reality behind the scenes, success is considered to be the result of a single man's efforts. On the other hand, if it's a failure it's the team who failed. Quite simple - but fair?

Who cares about "fair"? Who cares about "working atmosphere"? Who cares about "quality" or "sustainability" of the implementation? It's about "hit and run"!

Welcome to the shark pool!

Depressed now? Believe me, I'm really sorry to hear that! But what am I supposed to do about it? Even though I tend to say that the glass is half full I can't play down the facts or at least what I'm facing nowadays. - And if I manage to make a series of postings out of it be assured: It will not be dedicated to complaining or whinig! If I can work it out you will find some neat small stories. Some of them may make you knowingly grin or nod, some of them may make you shake your head in incomprehension. After all even nowadays work can be entertaining, no? Well then, let's see what the future holds! Until then...

Welcome to the shark pool!

CU - GU!