The Future of IT Human Capital ∞ November 6, 2009

Today’s economy and the availability of workers have left HR and IT professionals falsely confident in their ability to get and keep IT professionals. Yet, the facts tell a different story. There is a dwindling supply of IT talent in the United States, with no relief in sight. As the economy rebounds, those companies who have not developed workforce strategies to attract and retain IT professionals will likely find themselves unable to compete for the best talent. Linda Pittenger, a recognized thought leader on IT professionals, provided insights to help prepare program participants and their organizations for the future of IT human capital. She shared data on the availability of the IT worker and strategies for staying ahead of the competition. She also shared successful marketing and recruiting strategies, including expanding your knowledge of resource pools for IT talent. Finally, Linda discussed how “one size fits all” competencies do not work for IT performance success. She shared insights on how unique competencies differentiate superior performance for one type of IT worker over another.

After Linda’s talk, we heard from several IT executives, each of which shared their perspective on the future of IT human capital in their respective organizations, and brainstormed the role that universities can play in addressing future needs. The afternoon session included a case study presentation and discussion of how analytics can be applied to the management of human capital. Throughout the program we compared and contrasted ideas from both the private and public sector perspectives.

Linda Pittenger, The Pittenger Group

Ray Hoving, Executive-On-Grounds