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Opinion: The unspoken truth about managing geeks | Computerworld

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Tags: management-philosophy www.computerworld.com
Clipped on: 2014-09-19

Opinion: The unspoken truth about managing geeks

By j.ello

Computerworld | Sep 8, 2009 3:15 PM PT

I can sum up every article, book and column written by notable management experts about managing IT in two sentences: "Geeks are smart and creative, but they are also egocentric, antisocial, managerially and business-challenged, victim-prone, bullheaded and credit-whoring. To overcome these intractable behavioral deficits you must do X, Y and Z."

X, Y and Z are variable and usually contradictory between one expert and the next, but the patronizing stereotypes remain constant. I'm not entirely sure that is helpful. So, using the familiar brush, allow me to paint a different picture of those IT pros buried somewhere in your organization.

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