You’ve perfectly captured the nature of this problem. Thank you, I really appreciate your comment.
A powerful and dysfunctional IT department is indeed a horrible business practice.
The transactions between IT and staff are glibly treated as some sort of internal vendor/client relationship. But the vendor (IT) isn’t responsible to the client (me.) The vendor’s performance is reviewed by their management, and their management’s management.
At some point up the tree the reporting structures do converge, but that nexus is sufficiently distant that any technical feedback is weeks old and diluted.
Luckily, the battle with IT is such a tiny part of my job that I’ve decided to just check out completely. For part of my work I provide my own devices, network, and software and I’m quite open (constructively, with my manager) about the fact that I do so, and why.
I’m stoic about how the org chooses to interpret me voting with my feet like this. Meanwhile I can focus on doing work, which is mostly what I care about.
Sometimes though, the idea of working at such a dysfunctional org makes me feel a deep unease. My employer might also feel unease. We may choose, unilaterally or bilaterally, to terminate our relationship and find partners that are a better fit. Life’s too short to fight all the time.
A powerful and dysfunctional IT department is indeed a horrible business practice.
The transactions between IT and staff are glibly treated as some sort of internal vendor/client relationship. But the vendor (IT) isn’t responsible to the client (me.) The vendor’s performance is reviewed by their management, and their management’s management.
At some point up the tree the reporting structures do converge, but that nexus is sufficiently distant that any technical feedback is weeks old and diluted.
Luckily, the battle with IT is such a tiny part of my job that I’ve decided to just check out completely. For part of my work I provide my own devices, network, and software and I’m quite open (constructively, with my manager) about the fact that I do so, and why.
I’m stoic about how the org chooses to interpret me voting with my feet like this. Meanwhile I can focus on doing work, which is mostly what I care about.
Sometimes though, the idea of working at such a dysfunctional org makes me feel a deep unease. My employer might also feel unease. We may choose, unilaterally or bilaterally, to terminate our relationship and find partners that are a better fit. Life’s too short to fight all the time.