IT Leader series: Why HR and IT are not so dissimilar after all!

Quite often we hear IT leaders complaining about HR or the HR leader talking against IT. This is one of the most common antagonism of the corporate world. Yet, and perhaps surprisingly, these two functions have a lot in common. So why are they always grabbing each other's throat?  

Mostly because IT see HR as a blocker and HR see IT as a maverick. And they may well both be right. IT often receive conflicting or late demands from the business and they have barely any time to react. They want to be able to recruit fast but they feel that HR will impose cumbersome processes on them. On the other side, HR may feel that IT is very disorganised and always struggle to anticipate any of their resourcing needs. Again, they may both be correct.  

HR and IT are very often seen as supporting functions. They are not really part of "the Business". They don't drive the organisation forward, instead they are subservient teams awaiting orders and obeying the command of those who are at the helm. If you lead one of these functions, it can be very frustrating at times. And it is tempting to take it out on each other. Yet, a strong alliance might be much more beneficial for both functions and the organisation as a whole. 

 Now, let me offer a few elements to reflect on the similarities between HR and IT:  

• They are both driven by processes 
• They are both often very reactive in their approach 
• They have a strong focus on compliance 
• They are often running from a special part of the building, a special room, de facto isolated from the rest of the Business 
• They separate themselves out, often referring to the rest of the organisation as "The Business", marking their differences 
• They love their secrecy and shroud it behind the vague concept of security 
• They deal mostly with data and information  
• They have created their own CxO roles to sit at the top table. However, very few of them get appointed executive directors and those who make it to CEO are extremely rare 
• They believe to know better than the business, almost acting as the wiser and protective parent 
• They tend to move within their own functional areas and never cross border. Most staff spend their entire career with the same functional skill set 
• They communicate rarely as if contact or interaction with anyone outside their function was dangerous or irritating. 

However stereotypical this list is, I am pretty confident you can see these traits in the people you know... 

The final similarity I will propose today seems anecdotal but it is the most striking one. If you consider their name, they are both formed of 2 letters. And most of their leaders are focusing on the wrong letter. 

Most IT leaders run their department with a very heavy focus on Technology. Wrong. All that matters nowadays is the information. This is where the strategic thinking should be, where revenue gets generated. This is how you beat competition, how you anticipate market turbulence. Technology is just a commodity that you procure. 

Similarly, HR leaders tend to believe their remit is to manage resources. Wrong. In an era of information and knowledge workers, employees are not the interchangeable units from the old factory floor (sorry if you work in a factory... but it is true!). The resources are human, they are people and not only do they deserve to be treated as such, they now demand it! For most organisations of the Western world, these resources that we call employees are a critical asset.  

And yes, I hear you, processes are required, strong management is important, technology can break or make organisations and all of that jazz. Sure, yes, of course. But ultimately they are secondary. Many HR departments have understood already and they have taken a leap forward. It is not all there yet. Give it maybe another decade... but HR departments have launched the concept of the business partnership. This idea is to listen to the business instead of imposing standards that in time have become irrelevant and therefore disruptive. Behind the curtain, things may well be the same, but there is an effort to try and make a few steps toward a collaborative approach. When it is implemented well and is not just a gimmick to enrich somebody's CV, it really pays off. 

If you lead an IT department and are struggling with your business, you can check how your HR is doing and maybe learn from them. Don’t just collaborate during your recruitment campaigns. There is so much more you guys share that you should continuously work together, unite in your struggle to be recognised as more than a supportive function. Even if it you are fine with just providing support. Why would you fight with each other anyway? No matter what their remits and ambitions are, HR and IT really ought to work together. And if you are still pondering why, let me call Peter Drucker to help out: 

The most valuable asset of a 21st-century institution, whether business or nonbusiness, will be its knowledge workers and their productivity. - P. Drucker Management Challenges for the 21st Century - 1999 

 In 1957 Drucker coined the term 'knowledge worker'. Surely you can see that these 2 words are intrinsically connected to information and people. If in 2017 you still believe that IT is all about managing technology and HR is all about managing resources; oh well, I give up: good luck! 

Next week I will tackle the interesting question of IT's internal standing:

IT Leaders series: What to do when IT suffer from bad reputation? Out Thursday 26 Jan 17

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Seb Giroux is a consultant, author and entrepreneur who has run a variety of IT services and departments for 20 years. His latest book, The IT Leader's Manual (Dux Publishing, 2016), provides hands-on tips and a personal framework for IT Managers, Heads and Directors to raise their corporate profile, improve their career and ultimately deliver more business value.