Managing human resources in information technology: Best practices of high performing supervisors

Abstract

Abstract Focus groups with information technology (IT) professionals and interviews with high‐performing IT supervisors were content‐analyzed to discover best supervisory practices.The focus is on how these best practices address challenges commonly confronted in the IT work environment. Consistent with classic leadership theory, best practices fell into two major categories: task‐focused (boundary spanning, performance management, employee involvement, training and development) and person‐focused (relationship building, mentoring, stress management, work‐family balance) practices. Results demonstrate that while leadership practices effective with other types of professionals also are appropriate for IT professionals, these practices can be tailored to address unique IT demands. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.