What's the best way to keep your IT operations team skilled and motivated?

1 Provide regular training and development opportunities

One of the best ways to keep your IT operations team skilled and motivated is to provide them with regular training and development opportunities. Training and development can help your team acquire new knowledge, skills, and competencies that are relevant and valuable for their current and future roles. Training and development can also help your team stay updated on the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in ITOM, as well as enhance their problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills. You can offer your team various types of training and development opportunities, such as online courses, webinars, workshops, certifications, mentoring, coaching, and peer learning.

2 Recognize and reward their achievements and efforts

Another way to keep your IT operations team skilled and motivated is to recognize and reward their achievements and efforts. Recognition and reward can show your team that you appreciate their contributions, value their performance, and care about their satisfaction and well-being. Recognition and reward can also boost your team's morale, confidence, and loyalty, as well as inspire them to continue learning and improving. You can recognize and reward your team in different ways, such as giving them feedback, praise, bonuses, incentives, promotions, or public recognition.

3 Foster a culture of collaboration and innovation

A third way to keep your IT operations team skilled and motivated is to foster a culture of collaboration and innovation. Collaboration and innovation can help your team work together more effectively, share ideas and insights, learn from each other, and create better solutions for ITOM. Collaboration and innovation can also help your team cope with the complexity, uncertainty, and diversity of the IT environment, as well as embrace change and experimentation. You can foster a culture of collaboration and innovation by providing your team with the tools, platforms, processes, and guidelines that enable them to communicate, coordinate, and cooperate with each other, as well as by encouraging them to be creative, curious, and open-minded.

4 Align their goals and expectations with the organizational vision and strategy

A fourth way to keep your IT operations team skilled and motivated is to align their goals and expectations with the organizational vision and strategy. Alignment can help your team understand the purpose and direction of their work, as well as how it contributes to the overall success and value of the organization. Alignment can also help your team prioritize their tasks, measure their progress, and evaluate their results. You can align your team's goals and expectations with the organizational vision and strategy by communicating them clearly, regularly, and transparently, as well as by involving them in the planning, decision-making, and feedback processes.

5 Empower them to make decisions and take ownership of their work

A fifth way to keep your IT operations team skilled and motivated is to empower them to make decisions and take ownership of their work. Empowerment can help your team feel more autonomous, responsible, and accountable for their work, as well as more confident and capable of handling challenges and opportunities. Empowerment can also help your team develop their leadership, initiative, and innovation skills, as well as their sense of pride and satisfaction. You can empower your team to make decisions and take ownership of their work by delegating authority, providing resources and support, trusting their judgment, and respecting their opinions.

6 Create a positive and supportive work environment

A sixth way to keep your IT operations team skilled and motivated is to create a positive and supportive work environment. A positive and supportive work environment can help your team feel more comfortable, happy, and engaged in their work, as well as more connected and loyal to each other and the organization. A positive and supportive work environment can also help your team cope with stress, burnout, and conflict, as well as enhance their well-being and productivity. You can create a positive and supportive work environment by promoting a culture of respect, diversity, inclusion, and wellness, as well as by providing your team with the physical, technical, and emotional resources and support they need.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?