Despite an incredible reliance on IT, there are still a lot of companies that find the world of computing to be more of a hindrance than a help. Almost as though IT is something to contend with rather than embrace as a means of improving efficiency and helping the business.

This negative view of IT often influences the company’s choice when it comes to IT staff. Instead of appreciating the value that an IT professional can bring, they are treated as a cost and are often there to simply patch up PCs, change printer toner and install software.

We’ve seen our fair share of situations where the position of IT Manager is handed to a relatively junior person who is often inexperienced but very enthusiastic. These junior recruits set about their business, learning on the job and building up their knowledge and confidence as they get stuck in.

The more experience they get, the more influence they can exert and the more ideas they bring to the table. And of course there is a natural correlation between innovation, adoption of new technologies and youthfulness. i.e. the junior IT Manager is often brimming full of ideas to bring about change and make a difference.

But this is when things can go wrong. After all, the types of business that hire staff on this basis do so because they are hesitant to invest in IT, for whatever reason. Often, they want to do things: ’like they used to’, which is not an environment where improvements and new developments thrive.

So what happens next? Unfortunately, often the IT Manager finds the nearest exit as soon as they can and the company is back to square one, still with a negative view of IT and probably even greater resistance to change.

We get it, we really do. Change can be scary and cause a lot of disruption, but if it’s done for the right reasons and in the right way, the rewards can far outweigh the stress. So, if IT is hindering you more than helping you, it might be time for a change…