Managing IT Staff in DAINET: How Development Alternatives is Curbing Staff Turnover

By Stephanie San Miguel
November 2000

Case study from Development Alternatives (DA)

About DA

Organization: Development Alternatives (DA) http://www.devalt.org

Objectives: Creating large scale sustainable livelihoods

Staff: Approximately 200 employees divided between the Delhi and Jhansi offices.

Partners: SDCN members, others listed on Web site page http://www.devalt.org/partners.htm

Introduction

The information technology (IT) sector in India is growing at an incredible rate. According to a Computers Today study from July 2000, the Indian infotech industry grew by 62.9% since 1998 and was worth over US$6 billion last year alone. For non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like Development Alternatives (DA) in New Delhi, India, competing financially against a multi-billion dollar per year industry to keep its valuable IT staff is a particular challenge. Indeed, the Development Alternatives Information Network (DAINET), DA's internet communications unit, has seen no fewer than nine employees pass through its doors since its establishment in 1995. Several of these employees left DAINET for lucrative IT positions in the private sector, both in India and abroad.

Yet, despite its turbulent past, staff turnover within DAINET appears to have stabilized in the last two years. In light of the increasing demands of the private sector in India and elsewhere for experienced IT staff, DA's success at keeping its IT staff in DAINET is particularly impressive. So how did DA do it? What are some of the lessons learned by DA in terms of maintaining employee satisfaction with their work and their organization? The following explores some of the issues related to staff turnover in DAINET and the initiatives DA management has taken to address these issues and prevent staff loss.

The past

DA Vice President George C. Varughese is candid when asked about the challenges the organization has faced in keeping its staff in DAINET. "Almost all our employees get what they need here, except for the money," he says. Indeed, perhaps the single most important factor responsible for staff turnover in DAINET has been the low salary. Faced with increasing financial pressures, many staff members left the unit for higher paying jobs elsewhere. Usually, their departure was more out of necessity than of personal choice.

However, some employees also had other reasons for leaving DAINET, among them the need for mentorship and professional development, as well as frustration due to the lack of clearly defined roles within the unit and organization. "Within DA there was a view that DAINET functioned solely as a support unit rather than as a communication unit," says John Borgoyary, one of the original DAINET staff members who now works as Project Manager for the British Council's INDEV project in New Delhi. "The phone was constantly ringing for one of us to come and fix some computer problem (…). Each time I would sit down and try to concentrate on the work at hand, the phone would ring again. It was not a good working environment." After over three years working in the unit, John felt he had reached the limit of his professional growth and was anxious to do something different. "I needed to see what it was like working for the private sector after five years of working with NGOs," he says. John left the unit for a position in the private sector that allowed him to expand upon his skills in IT and in project management.

The loss of experienced staff like John also contributed to the mentorship problem within DAINET. Not having access to a mentor can be daunting for newcomers and difficult for those looking to expand their skills. For Kedar Dash and the other programmers in the unit, the lack of mentorship was a challenging, but educational, experience. "Within about eight months, we lost all of our staff in DAINET. Among them were the guys who looked after the new server. We did not know how to use it, so it was difficult for a few months. But, we learned on the job and now it is no problem."

The present

DA's apparent success at curbing staff turnover since John was there shows that it is possible to keep IT staff without needing to stretch already limited funds. In fact, attending to staff needs beyond simple salary requirements is increasingly recognized as an effective strategy for Human Resource managers to prevent staff loss.

The process begins by making an honest assessment of the situation and identifying past and potential problems. The management at DA has made a conscious effort to address many of the issues that led John and his colleagues to leave DAINET for other opportunities in the private sector, and to assess the needs of its current employees. These needs include providing opportunities for professional and personal development, establishing a flexible and open working environment and developing good employee-management relationships.

Professional Development

In terms of professional development, employees are strongly encouraged to take the initiative and to demonstrate leadership. The management at DA has tried hard in the past few years to create an environment where this is possible. Explains Ambika Sharma, content developer in DAINET, "DA, through its Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation – Human Institutional Development (SDC-HID) project, is on the move to create new leaders and has left an open-ended platform within the DAINET team to allow for leadership skills to develop significantly." The SDC-HID project aims to provide employees with the funding to realize projects of particular interest to them and the organization in order to promote project management skills and to foster professional growth.

In the last year, progress has also been made in terms of providing more structure to the unit, which would allow DAINET staff greater time to attend to other more relevant projects. "The existing situation is more in control through the collective efforts of the DAINET team to established organized systems within DA, such as the LAN and the intranet-based information bank," says Ambika. "These methods, along with a new users manual, will allow for more time and space to do actual communications work outside the organization." DAINET has also been promoting its image within the rest of the organization to demonstrate that it contributes much more than technical support. The recent addition of a full-time content developer also shows that the management is committed to maintaining DAINET's mission, which is to provide timely and relevant information on sustainable development to the independent sector using the World Wide Web.

A Flexible and Open Working Environment

Growth and development are not limited to the professional arena. It is necessary for organizations to recognize that their employees have lives beyond the office, which often includes commitments to family, friends and other extra-curricular activities. These needs do not have to compete with the needs of the organization, and if properly met, could actually help to improve productivity. Flexibility seems to be the key. DA has promoted the concept of flex-time within DAINET and the organization in general, allowing staff to arrive late, leave early or take an extra hour at lunch to attend to various duties or chores. Employees can then make up for the time by working late or putting in a few hours on the weekend. This has been one of the more appreciated measures for staff, who normally work six days per week.

The organization has also tried to promote what Ambika terms a "loose and free working space," which allows staff to interact both professionally and socially. Management encourages the unit to work closely as a team and tries to address any conflicts as promptly as possible. The establishment of a good working environment has been essential in promoting cooperation and maintaining staff satisfaction within the DAINET unit.

Employee-Management Relationships

In addition to improving relationships between staff members, DA management has also tried to enhance its interaction with DAINET employees beyond the annual Performance Review. As mentioned, DA favors a "bottom-up" and open approach to management, which encourages all employees to take the initiative and approach management with suggestions on various projects. The weekly "Saturday Meeting" serves as a forum for staff to discuss current and proposed projects, news and events, as well as other issues with each other and with the management group. Promoting open communication is essential for management to continue to understand the needs of its employees.

Another way DA management has tried to improve its relationship with the staff is through the presentation of awards that commend the efforts of exceptional individuals within the organization. Presented every year during DA's annual birthday celebration, these awards serve to recognize the value of the employee's contribution to the organization's goals and to their own personal and professional development.

The future

The future still holds many challenges for human resources management in DAINET, despite the progress made in the past few years. Financial issues will undoubtedly remain the single most important factor contributing to staff loss within the unit and DA in general. Only recently, the management decided to bring in a consultant to review its human resource policies and to suggest how to bring the salary and position structure more in line with other Indian institutions.

Yet, in addition to these measures, DA will have to ensure that the needs of the DAINET employees continue to be met. Despite its success at enabling leadership and professional development, the issue of mentorship still has not been resolved and is an area DA should explore further. Furthermore, in an ever-changing industry, keeping pace with the newest technologies and software will require management to put greater emphasis on training opportunities for its IT staff.

But perhaps the most important measure is for DA to continue building its reputation as one of the most innovative and well-established NGOs in India. Ensuring that the work in DAINET remains interesting and on the cutting-edge is important for DA if it wants to continue to attract the talent it has in the past and to keep its existing staff in-house.

Contact:

Development Alternatives
B-32 TARA Crescent
Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi, India
110 016
tel: 91+11+685-1158, 696-7938
fax: 91+11+686-6031
email:tara@sdalt.ernet.in