Evolution of Resource Management in the IT Industry
| Date | 01 September 1985 |
| Published date | 01 September 1985 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb057414 |
| Pages | 14-15 |
| Author | Pam Evans |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
Evolution of
Resource
Management in
the IT Industry
by Pam Evans
Company Personnel and Training
Manager, F International
Before the industrial revolution the established work place
was the home. The advent of automation meant people had
to go to the machines to work. The size and expense of such
machinery led to the development of large-scale industrial
work places, which in turn led to the need for a better
manager employment structure. Centralised offices were
thus established, with a nine-five working day, to cope with
the administrative and managerial functions needed to
con-
trol such new-found industrial demand for mass
employment.
More recently, a technological revolution has taken place.
Information technology has helped to remove many of the
reasons behind the need to centralise operations.
Thus work place has come full circle and once again the
home base is becoming a feasible alternative to the rigours
of an office environment. The provision of telecommunica-
tion links means people can communicate with colleagues
and access information directly from their home. Social
trends have also changed and people's expectations of work
and leisure activities are seen as being of equal importance.
The stress and waste of time entailed in commuting are
becoming more unacceptable as alternative options become
possible.
Naturally, the computer industry is taking advantage of its
own technology. F International, a leading computer
con-
sultancy and software house, has an almost totally home-
based work force. The company was founded in 1962 with
the underlying aim of providing work opportunities for those
who choose not to work in a conventional office environ-
ment. The vast majority of the work force are self-
employed—and known as technical panel—working from
home for a flexible number of hours, based on a minimum
availability whilst working on a project of 20 hours per week.
Many of the company's small core of salaried staff are also
employed on a "flexible" home-based basis, and only five
per cent of the work force operate in a "conventional"
way—working from nine-five in an office.
When the company was formed as Freelance Programmers
Ltd,
programming was the main activity; since then it has
expanded into other DP areas—consultancy, design,
analysis, software development and training services.
Inevitably the work force is very disparate, so the structure
has to be highly organised. F International is sub-divided
into eight regions throughout the UK. Each region's manage-
ment team is headed by a regional manager and includes
14 IMDS • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER • 1985
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