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Has
the era of the tech manager finally arrived in the IT industry?
One would think so, with hiring trends indicating an increased preference
for techies who also have relevant management qualifications. While
technology and management qualifications have always been a sought-after
combination for hiring managers, in the changed market scenario,
demand for such roles is evidently on the rise. From project management
to product management, business development to strategic planning,
it is the tech managers who are the change drivers in the organisation.
Why
the need
 People
with MBA and CA qualifications are taken as functional consultants
to bridge the gap between a techie and the business people—in
an era of stiff competition that is becoming more and more complex,
this is the proven way of conducting business. “Typically an
IT person is looked upon as a techie who understands technology
well, but is not business savvy, though this is not always true.
Moreover, the management studies train a person on different parts
of management including people handling. Hence a management qualification
will always help a person to achieve career goals faster,”
says Kalyan Prasath, vice president and head-IT, PruICICI AMC.
“At
the time of joining a company, a management education might give
the extra edge though some years down the line it is not the MBA
qualification but the proven ability to manage people and handle
teams that ensures faster career progression,” says Prof Phanish
Puranam, assistant professor of strategy and information management
of the London Business School. A lot also depends on the culture
and the nature of the organisation, for instance in the biotechnology
sector there is less need for people possessing both management
and technical qualifications as an IT services or product company
that is into an aggressive business development mode. According
to Prof Puranam, the skill sets of a tech manager have to follow
the T-shaped pattern, that is, the tech skills should run deep down
while the management and commercial skills depict a horizontal growth.
“And if you are going to be a tech entrepreneur then the need
for business education starts from day one. Many people have however
succeeded in spite of not having that background,” he reminds.
Techies
with management qualifications could find their place in the following
areas: project management, ERP implementations (SAP, PeopleSoft,
J D Edwards, Siebel, etc); business development (people with proven
experience in large corporate solutions); product management (close
understanding of technical aspects of the product with good marketing
skills); relationship management, strategic planning (those who
have spent time in all the three domains, eg: business development,
product management and project management).
Recruitment
scenario
With
most IT companies back into the hiring mode, along with the demand
for programmers, the recruitment market is also witnessing an increased
demand for tech managers. Dhruv Shenoy, vice president-marketing
of Monsterindia.com, explains why: “The role of a programme
manager or a tech leader is a critical one for the company for the
end result of client satisfaction or client delight rests with this
role. IT companies have never compromised on this hiring and in
fact, with increased IT hiring, the role of tech managers would
be much more pronounced.” He points out that BE or IIT with
MBA has always been a desirable qualification—it is more so
in the upbeat market scenario that is being witnessed today.
Tarun
Bali, chief executive officer of ABC Consultants believes that this
phenomenon has become more pronounced post September 11, where companies
are looking for people with specific skills, while on the other
hand retrenching staff who do not have the skill sets. “There
has been churn at fairly senior levels in IT companies who have
good international exposure. Satyam recently hired 27 senior people
from outside the industry to broadbase skills at senior levels,”
informs Bali.
Medium-to-large
size companies are expected to hire techies with management qualifications.
But then is the demand only for experienced professionals with relevant
management qualifications and experience, or even freshers? “Till
the end of last year companies were not talking of freshers. However
we see a lot of companies have firmed up plans to visit tech campuses.
Whether this would also mean that these companies would step up
their management trainee programme as well remains to be seen,”
answers Shenoy.
The
overall demand for freshers continues to be low, except in the BPO
space. “Satyam will be hiring 800 people in the next few months,
but they have yet to take on the offers they made on campuses last
year. Symphony is planning to look at 5,000 people by 2005, but
they are looking at experienced people. Infosys and Wipro have hired
a lot of freshers,” states Bali. However, people with four
to ten years of experience will be the most sought-after during
the year, as software companies are attempting to move up the value
chain by offering high-end technical and consulting work, rather
than mere code-writing.
Career
path
In
a relatively new industry like information technology, a management
qualification is considered all the more necessary for professionals
who have moved in from other streams, as it consolidates their experience.
Ranvir Jatana, who is working as a software design engineer with
MBT in Pune, is currently pursuing a two-year post-graduate diploma
in management (part-time evening classes) at the Symbiosis Institute.
“I have almost seven years of work experience, which is not
completely in the field of information technology. This management
qualification will consolidate my experience,” says he. Pointing
out that many of his peers are also doing the same—if not part-time
classes then a management course through correspondence, he informs
that in his class a sizable section of students are all working
engineers. “Even a hardcore technologist has to manage a few
people during a project and this is where a management degree helps.
Eventually it depends on how good you are managing people,”
he states. According to Jatana, his company is in the process of
coming out with the concept of “job families” soon, which
will define clear-cut career paths for its employees.
Mumbai-based
Bluestar Infotech has similar clearly-defined career paths for both
technology and management streams. Both these streams are common
up to a certain level and then they diversify. Starting with software
engineer, senior software engineer and consultant, the diversification
occurs at the next stage and each position in the management stream
has a corresponding technical designation. Harish Govind, GM-HR
of Bluestar Infotech confesses that managing both the streams is
a tricky situation. “It is an issue of perception. Some are
comfortable with technical roles while others seek out management
functions.”
Management
experts have always propounded the theory that that at the initial
stages of career the demand on technical skills is the greatest.
As one moves up the corporate ladder, the need for technical knowledge
decreases, while managerial and human skills come to the fore. For
those who are at crossroads about following technology or management
career streams, probably time will play the balancing act.
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