How to Develop Staff with Both Tech and Business Smarts

By Katherine Spencer Lee

If you're like most CIOs, finding ways to align IT more closely with business goals has become one of your top priorities. Having the right technology can help you reach that objective, but the right people—those who understand both business and technology—can help even more. An increasing number of CIOs are stocking their departments with "bilingual" members, or technical professionals who can also speak and understand the language of business.

In a Robert Half Technology poll, 41 percent of CIOs reported that knowledge of business fundamentals, such as accounting, finance, and general operations, has become more important in the last five years. This doesn't come as a surprise to most people who work in information technology. After all, IT staffers with business smarts offer a number of benefits to their employers: They are better able to create solutions that meet the needs of their customers, both internal and external. They can play a bigger role in shaping the future of the company. And they not only keep a close eye on the return on investment that a project delivers but also are able to explain bottom-line benefits to those higher up the corporate ladder.

Here are strategies for finding and developing employees who can bridge the gap between business and IT.

Hire Outside the Box

Certain positions within IT, such as programmers and network administrators, will always require strong technical qualifications. But for other positions, such as project managers and business systems analysts, consider hiring candidates with a more general background. They'll supply valuable insight and are likely able to learn the necessary technical skills on the job.

How do you get people outside the IT world to apply for these positions? The easiest way is to choose your words carefully when advertising job openings so applicants understand you are eager to hire people with non-IT backgrounds. For example, use "preferred" instead of "required" to describe technical skills and certifications. Do you need someone who has "experience with" a particular application or would someone with "knowledge of" or "interest in" the application do just as well? List any nontechnical skills you seek, such as accounting experience. You might even state outright that applicants both inside and outside IT are encouraged to apply.

Keep in touch with managers in other departments to find out if they have any team members with an interest in technology. Someone from a sales background may be perfect to help guide the development of a new lead-tracking application. And a person with retail experience could help your team understand how company-specific software is used in the firm's stores.

Perhaps most important is to consider expanding your recruiting circles. Rather than post job openings only on IT-specific job boards, contact more general job boards as well. And you may want to vary the keywords you typically use to describe openings or classify postings under different categories (say, operations instead of IT) to reach a different pool of job seekers.

Train IT Employees to Think Like Executives

One effective way to get IT staffers to think in business terms is to share your own knowledge as CIO with your team. In department e-mails and at staff meetings, discuss changes in the competitive landscape and emerging opportunities. When you assign projects and launch new initiatives, explain to your group how their work will help the organization meet its goals. For example, say that the new customer relationship management application will help the firm capture repeat business and improve profits. Or discuss how the business intelligence project will give executives the information they need to respond to changes in the marketplace and gain a competitive edge. In short, make sure each member of the IT department can see the big picture.

Encourage your staff to attend formal business training, either inside or outside your company. For example, you can offer to pay for business classes taken at a local college or university. Some companies provide financial incentives for staffers who obtain a Master of Business Administration or other business degree. Internal training sessions that provide insight into other departments can also be helpful. At our company, many corporate IT employees enroll in a class called "A Day in the Life of a Staffing Professional" to learn what it's like on the front lines of our business. As a result, they are better able to serve the needs of the organization.

Find new, informal ways for IT staff to interact with customers and personnel from other departments. For instance, developers who listen in on help desk calls for even a single afternoon can gain a better understanding of the issues faced by those who use their applications. Other ideas include inviting managers from other areas of the company to provide input on IT projects that will affect them or "loaning" IT staff to other departments for a few days or weeks.

Look for Diamonds in the Rough

Every IT team has a few people who have untapped potential in business-related areas. The challenge is to identify those people and encourage them to develop their skills. It is essential for you to take the time to get to know your staff on a personal basis. Walk around and talk with IT team members. Find out if they have any skills or interests related to particular areas of the business. Also, talk with IT managers and supervisors about the need for employees with business skills and have them keep their eyes open for those with the potential to become "bilingual."

As your staff members obtain business training, give them assignments that put that training to use. Sometimes it may even be worthwhile to encourage employees to consider job openings in other departments. Down the road, you may be able to rehire them in IT and take advantage of the skills they learned while working in other parts of the company.

There's no question that developing an IT staff with business know-how requires creativity and planning. However, taking the time to cultivate "bilingual" professionals with business smarts can translate into greater efficiency and better solutions to your company's challenges.