- Management Reference Guide
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Strategic Management
- Establishing Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
- Aligning IT Goals with Corporate Business Goals
- Utilizing Effective Planning Techniques
- Developing Worthwhile Mission Statements
- Developing Worthwhile Vision Statements
- Instituting Practical Corporate Values
- Budgeting Considerations in an IT Environment
- Introduction to Conducting an Effective SWOT Analysis
- IT Governance and Disaster Recovery, Part One
- IT Governance and Disaster Recovery, Part Two
- Customer Management
- Identifying Key External Customers
- Identifying Key Internal Customers
- Negotiating with Customers and Suppliers—Part 1: An Introduction
- Negotiating With Customers and Suppliers—Part 2: Reaching Agreement
- Negotiating and Managing Realistic Customer Expectations
- Service Management
- Identifying Key Services for Business Users
- Service-Level Agreements That Really Work
- How IT Evolved into a Service Organization
- FAQs About Systems Management (SM)
- FAQs About Availability (AV)
- FAQs About Performance and Tuning (PT)
- FAQs About Service Desk (SD)
- FAQs About Change Management (CM)
- FAQs About Configuration Management (CF)
- FAQs About Capacity Planning (CP)
- FAQs About Network Management
- FAQs About Storage Management (SM)
- FAQs About Production Acceptance (PA)
- FAQs About Release Management (RM)
- FAQs About Disaster Recovery (DR)
- FAQs About Business Continuity (BC)
- FAQs About Security (SE)
- FAQs About Service Level Management (SL)
- FAQs About Financial Management (FN)
- FAQs About Problem Management (PM)
- FAQs About Facilities Management (FM)
- Process Management
- Developing Robust Processes
- Establishing Mutually Beneficial Process Metrics
- Change Management—Part 1
- Change Management—Part 2
- Change Management—Part 3
- Audit Reconnaissance: Releasing Resources Through the IT Audit
- Problem Management
- Problem Management–Part 2: Process Design
- Problem Management–Part 3: Process Implementation
- Business Continuity Emergency Communications Plan
- Capacity Planning – Part One: Why It is Seldom Done Well
- Capacity Planning – Part Two: Developing a Capacity Planning Process
- Capacity Planning — Part Three: Benefits and Helpful Tips
- Capacity Planning – Part Four: Hidden Upgrade Costs and
- Improving Business Process Management, Part 1
- Improving Business Process Management, Part 2
- 20 Major Elements of Facilities Management
- Major Physical Exposures Common to a Data Center
- Evaluating the Physical Environment
- Nightmare Incidents with Disaster Recovery Plans
- Developing a Robust Configuration Management Process
- Developing a Robust Configuration Management Process – Part Two
- Automating a Robust Infrastructure Process
- Improving High Availability — Part One: Definitions and Terms
- Improving High Availability — Part Two: Definitions and Terms
- Improving High Availability — Part Three: The Seven R's of High Availability
- Improving High Availability — Part Four: Assessing an Availability Process
- Methods for Brainstorming and Prioritizing Requirements
- Introduction to Disk Storage Management — Part One
- Storage Management—Part Two: Performance
- Storage Management—Part Three: Reliability
- Storage Management—Part Four: Recoverability
- Twelve Traits of World-Class Infrastructures — Part One
- Twelve Traits of World-Class Infrastructures — Part Two
- Meeting Today's Cooling Challenges of Data Centers
- Strategic Security, Part One: Assessment
- Strategic Security, Part Two: Development
- Strategic Security, Part Three: Implementation
- Strategic Security, Part Four: ITIL Implications
- Production Acceptance Part One – Definition and Benefits
- Production Acceptance Part Two – Initial Steps
- Production Acceptance Part Three – Middle Steps
- Production Acceptance Part Four – Ongoing Steps
- Case Study: Planning a Service Desk Part One – Objectives
- Case Study: Planning a Service Desk Part Two – SWOT
- Case Study: Implementing an ITIL Service Desk – Part One
- Case Study: Implementing a Service Desk Part Two – Tool Selection
- Ethics, Scandals and Legislation
- Outsourcing in Response to Legislation
- Supplier Management
- Identifying Key External Suppliers
- Identifying Key Internal Suppliers
- Integrating the Four Key Elements of Good Customer Service
- Enhancing the Customer/Supplier Matrix
- Voice Over IP, Part One — What VoIP Is, and Is Not
- Voice Over IP, Part Two — Benefits, Cost Savings and Features of VoIP
- Application Management
- Production Acceptance
- Distinguishing New Applications from New Versions of Existing Applications
- Assessing a Production Acceptance Process
- Effective Use of a Software Development Life Cycle
- The Role of Project Management in SDLC— Part 2
- Communication in Project Management – Part One: Barriers to Effective Communication
- Communication in Project Management – Part Two: Examples of Effective Communication
- Safeguarding Personal Information in the Workplace: A Case Study
- Combating the Year-end Budget Blitz—Part 1: Building a Manageable Schedule
- Combating the Year-end Budget Blitz—Part 2: Tracking and Reporting Availability
- References
- Developing an ITIL Feasibility Analysis
- Organization and Personnel Management
- Optimizing IT Organizational Structures
- Factors That Influence Restructuring Decisions
- Alternative Locations for the Help Desk
- Alternative Locations for Database Administration
- Alternative Locations for Network Operations
- Alternative Locations for Web Design
- Alternative Locations for Risk Management
- Alternative Locations for Systems Management
- Practical Tips To Retaining Key Personnel
- Benefits and Drawbacks of Using IT Consultants and Contractors
- Deciding Between the Use of Contractors versus Consultants
- Managing Employee Skill Sets and Skill Levels
- Assessing Skill Levels of Current Onboard Staff
- Recruiting Infrastructure Staff from the Outside
- Selecting the Most Qualified Candidate
- 7 Tips for Managing the Use of Mobile Devices
- Useful Websites for IT Managers
- References
- Automating Robust Processes
- Evaluating Process Documentation — Part One: Quality and Value
- Evaluating Process Documentation — Part Two: Benefits and Use of a Quality-Value Matrix
- When Should You Integrate or Segregate Service Desks?
- Five Instructive Ideas for Interviewing
- Eight Surefire Tips to Use When Being Interviewed
- 12 Helpful Hints To Make Meetings More Productive
- Eight Uncommon Tips To Improve Your Writing
- Ten Helpful Tips To Improve Fire Drills
- Sorting Out Today’s Various Training Options
- Business Ethics and Corporate Scandals – Part 1
- Business Ethics and Corporate Scandals – Part 2
- 12 Tips for More Effective Emails
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part One
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part Two
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part Three
- Asset Management
- Managing Hardware Inventories
- Introduction to Hardware Inventories
- Processes To Manage Hardware Inventories
- Use of a Hardware Inventory Database
- References
- Managing Software Inventories
- Business Continuity Management
- Ten Lessons Learned from Real-Life Disasters
- Ten Lessons Learned From Real-Life Disasters, Part 2
- Differences Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity , Part 1
- Differences Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity , Part 2
- 15 Common Terms and Definitions of Business Continuity
- The Federal Government’s Role in Disaster Recovery
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 1
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 2
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 3
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 4
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 1
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 2
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 3
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 4
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part One
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Two
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Three
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Four
- The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
- The Origins of ITIL
- The Foundation of ITIL: Service Management
- Five Reasons for Revising ITIL
- The Relationship of Service Delivery and Service Support to All of ITIL
- Ten Common Myths About Implementing ITIL, Part One
- Ten Common Myths About Implementing ITIL, Part Two
- Characteristics of ITIL Version 3
- Ten Benefits of itSMF and its IIL Pocket Guide
- Translating the Goals of the ITIL Service Delivery Processes
- Translating the Goals of the ITIL Service Support Processes
- Elements of ITIL Least Understood, Part One: Service Delivery Processes
- Case Study: Recovery Reactions to a Renegade Rodent
- Elements of ITIL Least Understood, Part Two: Service Support
- Case Studies
- Case Study — Preparing for Hurricane Charley
- Case Study — The Linux Decision
- Case Study — Production Acceptance at an Aerospace Firm
- Case Study — Production Acceptance at a Defense Contractor
- Case Study — Evaluating Mainframe Processes
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part One: Quantitative Comparisons/Natural Disasters
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Two: Quantitative Comparisons/Man-made Disasters
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Three: Qualitative Comparisons
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Four: Take-Aways
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part One: Planning
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Two: Planning and Walk-Through
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Three: Execution
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Four: Follow-Up
- Assessing the Robustness of a Vendor’s Data Center, Part One: Qualitative Measures
- Assessing the Robustness of a Vendor’s Data Center, Part Two: Quantitative Measures
- Case Study: Lessons Learned from a World-Wide Disaster Recovery Exercise, Part One: What Did the Team Do Well
- (d) Case Study: Lessons Learned from a World-Wide Disaster Recovery Exercise, Part Two
This is the first of two sections on the topic of negotiating. Both sections present helpful tips on negotiating agreements with customers. These agreements could include service levels, project schedules, system requirements, software budgets, or a variety of other business propositions. The ability to negotiate effectively is a valuable skill to acquire and use by most any IT manager. It is particularly important for IT managers to master this trait for dealing with customers whose expectations may be unreasonable and whose demands may be unrealistic.
This section describes two important aspects of negotiation: common barriers and building rapport. I begin with a brief explanation of common barriers to reaching agreement on any negotiable issue, and continue by describing a few methods for building rapport between two negotiating parties. The discussions of both aspects include practical applications to an IT environment.
Some of the material in this section is from the Harvard Negotiation Project sponsored by the Harvard Business School. Harvard initiated the project as a result of the high number of expensive lawsuits that were being litigated across the country. Project participants found that enabling litigating parties to settle out of court through effective negotiation was far more beneficial, and economical, then conducting expensive, time-consuming, and often frivolous lawsuits. The concept of the project was that the more that people understood and practiced sound negotiating skills, the better off society would be in general.
Barriers to Reaching Agreement
Past experiences, personal preferences, emotions, prejudices, assumptions and cultural upbringing all have the potential of creating barriers to reaching an agreement between two opposing parties. These barriers fall into the two broad categories of physical and cognitive. Physical barriers include impediments such as poor eyesight or difficulty in hearing. An individual can usually mitigate these types of physical barriers through various corrective means such eyeglasses or hearing aids. Cognitive barriers stem from how individuals think about themselves and events around them, and represent by far the majority of barriers to negotiated settlements. A recent study by Harvard University determined that 94% of all negotiation breakdowns occur because of cognitive barriers.
The cornerstone of cognitive barriers is a person's belief system, comprised of those beliefs an individual values the most. Beliefs, by definition, are based more on faith than knowledge and therein lay the potential conflict. Two people attempting to negotiate an agreement may have vastly different belief systems. One may have very strong beliefs based primarily on faith. The other may have few faith-based beliefs and rely mostly on factual knowledge. The instance of a faith-based person negotiating with a knowledge-based person is a common source of conflict, and of failed negotiations. Another source of conflict can arise when a faith-based person has knowledge of a fact that a knowledge-based person can only have faith about. As an old adage states, the expectant wife has knowledge that she is the child's mother but the husband can only have faith that he is the father. Recognizing and understanding your own personal preferences and biases, and those of the person with whom you are negotiating, can help the conversation approach a more common level of communication.
For example, a detailed-oriented analytical type of person from an Information Technology (IT) department may need to negotiate a service level with an end-user who is very big-picture oriented and not at all interested in details. If the negotiation is not going well, the IT person could try to steer the conversation to more high level issues before arriving at the details of the service level. The degree to which cognitive barriers undermine a negotiation will vary from case to case, but the more you learn about your own barriers, and particularly those of the party with whom you're negotiating, the greater the likelihood of a successful agreement.
Building Rapport
Building rapport with the person with whom you are negotiating is an important pre-requisite to arriving at a mutual agreement. I define rapport as a mutual sense of connection, trust, and empathy between two individuals. Rapport is important in negations because two people in rapport with each other tend to move together in the same direction, at the same pace, toward a common goal. We all establish rapport, consciously and sub-consciously, with visual, auditory, tactile, and behavioral cues. With only one chance to make a first impression, the physical cues we exhibit are extremely important. We cannot not communicate when interacting with someone for the first time. The appropriateness of our clothing, the sound of our voice, the feel of our handshake, and our posture and facial expressions all combine to make a successful or unsuccessful first impression. This initial encounter either supports or undermines our ability to build rapport.
Another aspect of building rapport with someone is to recognize which of the four primary personality types best describe you and that person. These types are:
driver/adventurer – characterized by a strong, hard-driving, results-oriented personality; interested in the big picture rather than small details; moderate need for social interaction; an example may be a manager on a manufacturing line with whom you are negotiating service levels.
expressive/builder – characterized by a very animated, outgoing personality; an example may be a marketing person who is negotiating time, effort and costs with you to spice up the company website.
amiable/catalysts – characterized by a very empathetic, nurturing, patient personality; an example may be a human resources person negotiating IT requirements with you for an employee benefits program.
analytical/explorer – characterized by a quiet, serious personality; technically oriented; an example may be a programmer with whom you are negotiating backup and testing procedures.
A number of simple surveys and tests can help determine an individual's primary personality type. Two of the most common of these are the Jung-Myers-Briggs modal profile test, and the Keirsey temperment study. While most people's personalities are a combination of these four categories, there is usually one dominant type that influences the behavior and demeanor of an individual.
Understanding your own dominant personality trait can allow you to adjust it to be more effective in negotiations, and to help recognize the dominant personality trait of the person with whom you are negotiating. For example, if you are highly analytical and are negotiating with a driver-type individual, it would be more effective for you to steer clear of details and anecdotes and get right to the bottom line. This does not mean that you should dispense with establishing some initial rapport, it just means to be quick, direct and mindful of the driver's normal sense of urgency.
Combining both of these techniques of establishing rapport and factoring in personality types can make your IT negotiations more productive and successful. In part two of this series on negotiating, I will discuss three useful methods for reaching agreements: positional bargaining, determining alternatives, and identifying zones of agreement
References
Fisher, R., Getting To Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, 2nd Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992 (Based on the Harvard Negotiation Project)
Ertel, D and Fisher, R., Getting To Negotiate: The Getting to Yes Workbook, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995
Gallway, T., The Inner Game of Work, Random House, 1999