IT Departments Must Humanize to Prevent Errors

IT employees are human too, something that many organizations forget. Not recognizing that fact, sadly, can lead to devastating errors, according to a new study by Binghamton University and the State University of New York.

The study indicates that personality and mood both affect people's decision making, and whether or not they inform others when a mistake has been made. But, most companies only focus on the resources and technology, such as budgets, hardware malfunctions and workload, when addressing how errors get introduced.

“Practitioners often perceive software development as dependent on machines, as opposed to humans, which is not a sustainable mindset,”

Sumantra Sarkar, assistant professor of information systems in the School of Management at Binghampton University. “When IT workers were in a positive mood, they were less likely to report on self-committed errors. This can be explained by how being in a positively elevated state can impede one’s cognitive processing.”

To combat this problem from affecting your team, you must develop human connections. It starts by just asking them how they are doing. Starting a conversation on a daily basis can open so many doors. By getting to know them as people you'll be better equipped to know if their mood is affecting their judgement. Plus, you can then encourage them to self-evaluate if their emotions are getting in their way.

The study also indicated what personality traits you should look for when hiring a new team member. Meticulous and fastidious folks will serve you better in the long term, as they are more likely to communicate and problem solve when an error has been committed or identified.

"Conscientious workers have a strong sense of duty and selflessness and are more willing to report self-committed errors,” Sarkar said.

But the bottom line is that by recognizing IT professionals as human could go a long way toward solving and preventing problems.