Diaz Research published research and presentations library
Here you can access lots of our current and past research publications and presentations. We include some papers that while old, still have some currency. We exclude papers that badly need an overhaul.
Note: Snapshot Research, when published, is distributed only to those who contributed, but after a year it is
made available to others so we include some older Snapshot Research documents here too.
This is our annual review of the whole of the IT 'people and organization' scene:
4020 IT People and Organization Review 2010
This 50-page PDF introduces the IT function, its terminology and its work, with particular emphasis on employee aspects. Technical terms are explained, especially where these are relevant to skills and employee issues. This will be helpful to IT HR people generally expecially (but not only) those new to IT and those in recruitment and training.
4015-3 The IT function and its people
This uses our own research on the age profile of the IT workforce, extrapolates it, and analyses the issues and responses that IT functions should be aware of: 4013 1 ITs midlife crisis.pdf
This presentation was made in an online event we held on the subject, led by Professor John Arnold of Loughborough University's Business School: DIAZ presentation June 2009.ppt
This paper is a response to the issues experienced by and with mid-career workers in IT, including those summarized by Prof. John Arnold (see above). It also includes some relevant new analysis from our NOW in IT project. 7047 Mid-career workers in IT.pdf
This sets out which aptitude tests are used for IT people, how they are used, and the standards expected:
7040 Aptitude testing in the IT function.pdf
Career structures are a hardy perennial in IT, and tend to be examined every few years - especially after mergers, demergers, globalization and other changes. This overview is aimed not just at HR people but to IT leaders. It should help sort out some of the big questions before much (possibly fruitless) work is underway.The paper borrows a little from a paper written for CIO Connect, the private club for CIOs, but incorporates recent experience and extra material: 4021 Career structures in the IT function.pdf
This Analyst Note looks at how 47 companies mainly in the US and Europe framed their career propositions for new graduates, and identifies some lessons for those recruiting graduates: 7019 IT career propositions for graduates.pdf
This Note takes a different stance from 7019, using as its starting point the criteria that our NOW in IT research found were important to those graduates considering careers. It uses those criteria to examine and find good practice among over 60 companies round the world: 7049 IT career propositions 2010.pdf
It became clear from historic and current data that the rules surrounding the management of IT people in the 2010s have changed utterly: this Analyst Note takes a peep at the future: 7046 The new normal IT workforce.pdf
This major investigation was based on data that we collected from final year undergraduates in London and Durham, seniors at Johns Hopkins and 500 IT workers in client companies: 4017 Now in IT.pdf
'Open software' environments are leaking into widespread use within the corporate sector, bringing with them some interesting questions about your recruitment policies: 7034 Open software's new IT people.pdf
Many IT leaders want their people's behaviour and values to change overnight. This paper considers how culture can be changed through looking at the 'reward' system - in the broadest sense: 7042 Changing culture in IT.pdf
This Note makes some helpful observations on the widespread goal of converting contractors into employees, and how to achieve it: 7014 From freelance to employee.pdf
This important Snapshot Research identifies the key points about all aspects of freelance contractors: how they are used, how they are controlled, agency usage and agency margins:6025 Freelance IT contractors.pdf
This note exposes the lack of an efficient contractor market and the absence of well defined market prices and explains how some companies are dealing with this: 7041 Controlling freelance IT contractors daily rates.pdf
This looks at how best to manage freelance contractors: 7002a Managing freelance IT workers.pdf
This document looks at the measurement and benchmarking of IT employee engagement using the Gallup Q12 instrument: 7020 Employee engagement in IT.pdf [NB We can provide Q12 benchmarking of your IT people - just supply your data and we will provide the benchmark.]
This has interesting data on employee engagement, and leadership within IT:
6023 IT HR issues and responses 2007.pdf
Retention concerns do arise in IT, even in the era of offshoring. This paper looks at what can be done to keep the IT people you really need for the future. 7016 Retention of IT workers.pdf
This paper summarizes the policies and 'take up' of flexible work in IT: 7017 Flexible work in IT.pdf
This has interesting data on the take-up of flexible work in IT, and the impact of offshoring on IT morale:
6020 IT Resourcing 2007.pdf
This paper discusses the levels of sickness absence in IT, relative to other areas, and how it is managed:
7003a Managing sickness absence in IT.pdf
This was written to fill a vacuum. No-one, but no-one, writes much about IT shiftwork, until this.
4012 1 Shiftworking in the IT function.pdf
This PowerPoint presentation from January 2010 presents a summary of developments and issues relating to the globalized IT function, as evidenced in a number of large companies. Globalization of IT and impact on IT People
We did this brief update in 2006. Then in 2008 we started to review it and found few of the issues had changed by much - even the rate of IT pay inflation had not changed (15%): 7012 IT Human Resources issues in India.pdf
This topic worries a lot of people but this paper - prepared after a summit of four global companies shed some light on the subject - identifies the real concerns: 7022 Making global IT work.pdf
IT workers are widely stereotyped as having very poor architect interpersonal skills. Developing such skills is done in broadly similar ways as with other sets of workers. But the IT-specific tips in paper might help you address these skills gaps in your IT function: 4019a Upgrading the interpersonal skills of IT workers
The IT architect is a role that companies consistently report as being difficult to fill. This paper looks at the difficult subject of how to develop them: 7028 Developing IT architects.pdf
This paper looks at what companies are now doing to develop their new graduate recruits:
7026 Graduate training programmes for IT.pdf
There are two leading providers on online books for IT staff: Books 24x7 and Safari. This paper compares their offerings and draws some conclusions : 7031-2 Online book services for IT.pdf
This document covers, not MBA level options, but Executive Education in Europe and the United States that is aimed at the CIO or near-CIO IT leader: 7035-3 Executive education options for IT leaders.pdf
Some managers take a very democratic approach while others can be quite coercive. Most are somewhere in between. None of these styles is wrong: the best managers can draw on a wide range to styles to get the results they need. These findings are explored and applied in an IT setting in this Analyst Note. 7053 How IT managers manage
The classic three components of IT capability are (a) functional skills such as software development, service management etc. (b) hard skills related gto specific tools and technologies such as C++, Java, UNIX and (c) soft skills. This note describes how these are measured, and provides some insights about the 'dos and don'ts' of measuring capability.
7050 Measuring capability in the IT workforce.pdf
This looks at a range of learning approaches ranging from knowledge management to coaching:
4011 1 Developing IT Talent.pdf
Managing poor performance through to performance improvement or exit is an interesting challenge. This Analyst Note identifies the need to take other employees' perspectives into account in the process:
7024 Exiting poor performers.pdf
Managing the performance of IT people can be difficult for a range of reasons; this Spotlight paper gives some special insights into how to do it better:
4007 2 Performance Management.pdf
In the UK a new IT Management for Business (ITMB) degree looks promising and is now being adopted by leading universities. This paper assesses this development: 7030 ITMB degrees.pdf
Many IT leadership teams are operating on outdated assumptions when they set graduate recruitment policies. This paper provides the facts that will help them: 7032 Science and engineering degrees - relevance to IT.pdf
This Note is based on data provided directly to us by final year undergraduates at Durham and London, and Seniors at Johns Hopkins: 7033 Why graduates don't choose careers in IT.pdf
This paper takes a look at what works in terms of IT recruitment. Though now a few years old, it is still worth reading: 7009a IT recruitment.pdf
Many, disillusioned by the difficulty of hiring good graduates, and disturbed by how the high aspirations of many graduates cannot be met, have considered hiring non-graduates into IT jobs:
7023 Recruiting nongraduates into IT.pdf
Planning IT resources is hampered because of the difficulty of forecasting demand, skills etc. This paper looks at how this actually works in real-life companies. 7048 How IT resource management works
This note gets behind the confusing terminology to summarize the reality of the resource management arrangements in IT functions today: 7013 Resource Pools and Managers.pdf
This short paper is designed to help experienced Compensation and Benefits managers who atre new to the area of IT pay. 7053 Managing reward for the IT workforce
Here is the study we did of this 2007: 7029 IT standby pay.pdf
And here is a partial update with further analysis; the two papers complement each other:
7045 New developments in IT standby pay.pdf
The difference between precision and accuracy is nowhere more in evidence than in pay market data. This Note looks at the subject of the (in)accuracy of pay data: 7021 Pay market data accuracy.pdf
After looking at data we collected over years, this paper concludes that outstanding performance in IT does not pay off financially. It also identifies why and some things that can be done about this:
7043 Bonuses and performance in IT.pdf
The was originally written to record the facts about Y2K retention bonuses - how they were used, whether they worked. It has been updated to record more recent experiences: 4001 2b Retention Bonuses.pdf
Senior technical experts are often paid at 'management' rates despite having little or no management accountability. This Note looks at how such people's value can be assessed and increased: 7011-2 Senior individual contributors.pdf
Team pay is not popular in IT but the experience of doing a feasibility study for its introduction was just too rare not to be recorded for posterity and passed on to Diaz clients. So here it is. It may be helpful to someone who is considering the pros and cons of a surprisingly complex subject: 7025 Team pay in IT.pdf
This is now mainly of interest because of its data on sign-on bonuses (and one example of a retention bonus!):
6024a IT Reward 2007.pdf
This Note looks at how to develop better project management capabilities across your entire IT function using a combination of measures: 7005a Developing IT project managers.pdf
Good IT relationship managers are not easily found. This Note looks at the capabilities required and where they are best found: 7008a IT Relationship managers.pdf
It can be confusing, knowing what to do with (or about!) SFIA and SFIAplus. This paper hopefully makes some decisions easier: 7037 SFIA and SFIAPlus - an assessment.pdf
Though now out-of-date in its details, this paper is included because it provides some comments, still valid, on the use of SFIA generally: 7007a SFIA Version 3.pdf
This is an introductory presentation on skills framework made at an online event we hosted:
SFIA 8 July 2009 ONLINE PRESENTATION.ppt
The nine-box (performance-potential) grid is now widely used in IT as elsewhere. How can it be usefully applied?
7039 Applying the nine-box grid in IT.pdf
IT talent reviews generally involve the nine-box (performance and potential) grid; this Note discusses how they work, how to makwe them more effective, and some related options. 7052 IT talent reviews
What is the criterion for 'having potential'? Eye colour? Conformance to a competency model? Something else?
7038 Identifying employee potential in IT.pdf
On the face of it there is no better way to develop people than by exposing them to big new challenges. Logically, then, job rotation should be in use everywhere, but it is not. This Note explains how you can do more in this controversial area: 7036 Effective job rotation in IT.pdf
This Spotlight paper, produced in 2006, is still worth reading on the subject of developing IT people:
4011 1 Developing IT Talent.pdf
This very short and spur-of-the-moment paper produced in conjunction with 'BCS Women' gives an interesting slant on how women who are already in IT see the investment banking sector:
7027 How women in IT see investment banking.pdf