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| Introduction | |
| Evaluate Your Organization | |
| Analyze Stakeholders | |
| Management Evolution | |
| References | |
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Management Evolution
To understand the dilemma of Web designers in modern organizations, it is helpful to consider the early role computer programmers held in technical companies in the late 70s and early 80s. New media theorist Geoffrey Sauer has cited comparisons between the evolution of the organizational roles of programmers in the 1980s and the current evolution occurring among technical communicators. Sauer describes the early days of computing as a time when programmers and developers—like today’s web designers—had unique, often self-taught, skills that rendered them invaluable to their organizations. These early programmers worked directly on products and generally had exclusive control over their design, implementation and maintenance. Programmers’ salaries often exceeded those of their superiors because they were essentially irreplaceable. Stress on these single points of contact was very high and burnout was rampant. Organizations quickly realized this was a liability and devised new strategies for development task management. In the mid-1980s, development groups evolved into a different paradigm in which individuals performed tasks; an individual with management—not computer—training provided team leadership. The new structure divided tasks and salaries over several individuals to create parity and eliminate the lone designer. With the new organization, programmers worked on multiple projects simultaneously. |