Hiring challenges across generations, IBM i platform awareness and community events, vendor solutions and modernization strategies, career insights and attitude importance, leadership perspectives on IT modernization, digital transformation and talent shortages.
IBM i and the hiring process
When it comes to hiring, the fact that there are multiple generations in the workforce creates some unique challenges. The generations that are currently in the workforce are:
- The Traditionalists / Silent: 1920 to 1945
- Baby Boomers: 1946 to 1964
- Generation X: 1965 to 1980
- Generation Y (Millennials): born after 1980
The differences between the generations can make it difficult to hire and retain talent. Read Rethinking Hiring for the IBM i.
News
IBM i platform awareness and LUG IBM i Platform Awareness is one of the key topics of interest at the most recent LUG meeting. This is great to see. It’s evidence there is a huge push in the IBM i ecosystem to get the facts out into the community about the strength of the platform. Other areas of focus were Application Development, Systems Management, Security, and Availability & Recovery. Alex Woodie, covers all the details over at IT Jungle.
Career
Fresche Solutions and Shared Values for the IBM i community I had a great phone conversation with Christine McDowell, Senior Marketing Director at Fresche Solutions. Fresche is the largest vendor outside of IBM that has embraced the modernization strategy for the IBM i community. They have a complete suite of products and services for all of your modernization needs. Everything from database and application modernization to services. What’s most refreshing is the shared values and the common mission the company has for the IBM i platform. Take a look what they have going on for the IBM i community. Why we are changing jobs This article brings up some interesting points about where people are at in their careers and how they get there, the reasons they make changes and overall how they navigate through their career. Hiring managers say your attitude is just as important as your skills Well, it’s confirmed. A bad attitude is a career killer.
Leadership
Why IT Modernization and the old ways can’t coexist Bingo! This article nails it. Whether it is for the public or private sector you can throw all the money in the world at an IT Modernization project “however, without changes in the mindset and approach to these modernization projects, these funds may just leave us with the next generation of legacy systems that need to be modernized. We’ll be no better off than we are now.” This is much like all the failed attempts to get off of the IBM i. Leaders need to rethink customer journeys for the next-generation operating model Here is a really good podcast (text ) from McKinsey, that focuses on digital transformation. However, this next-generation operating model also applies to modernization projects because they similar and often interconnected.
The lesson is if you don’t modernize or transform, other companies will come in and leapfrog you.
Modernization
The missing link for digital transformation (and modernization) success For Digital Transformation and IT Modernization projects to be successful there needs to be a shift in human behavior. Lack of resources for Digital and Modernization projects This seems to be consistent with the IBM i market in that “82 percent of organizations can’t attract and retain the quality and quantity of software engineers required”. This is clearly not just an IBM i platform issue. Talent is hard to find regardless of platform. Time to throw out the excuse that you can’t find talent because everyone has that problem.
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