What would someone who's thought really hard about technology's true impact in our lives have to say about the phenomenon of the "accidental techie," the person who, by dint of technological acumen or interest becomes the de facto network administrator or troubleshooter in an organization? Edward Tenner, author of Why Things Bite Back; Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences, calls the pitfalls of depending on unacknowledged peer support to make good use of our computers a "rearranging" revenge affect. The term means that we "save time by having computers accomplish things for us, but before they can do them we take time from our colleagues."
He cites a study by the Boston consulting firm Nolan, Norton & Co. that documented that peer support costs an organization two to three times the budgeted cost for equipment, supplies and technical support. He provides a starkly rational argument for why organizations evolve to a point at which they depend on support from accidental or even reluctant techies:
"A local area network (LAN) may help a department work effectively together, but it can also take hours of time as employees become administrators and assume the care and feeding of cables, interface cards, and networking software. The problem is more serious for those who do not have a formal role. Most amateur gurus do not mind interrupting what they are supposed to be doing. They may like computers more than their real jobs. Even if they love their work, they probably find peer help psychologically rewarding and politically valuable in accumulating allies and favors owed.
"Professional computer managers appreciate the volunteers for relieving their budges and of course for knowing their colleagues' needs better than a full-time technical person could.¿Since some peer helpers are world-class scientists, engineers, [social workers, arts administrators, environmental activists] and other professionals, the information services department is getting a bargain - and the organization is losing a part of the high-priced time it is paying for.
"One obvious solution is to bring support costs into the open by expanding budgets for information services to reflect the hidden demand... [Organizations] appear to be moving in the opposite direction:¿buying more and more 'bargain' hardware and expecting the same staff to support it...
"Whether by planning or by chance, some organizations have the people needed to make computers work brilliantly. These become the legends of the movement.¿Other organizations groan under the weight of their new machinery, because they don't have the people with the right skills in the right places. It comes as no surprise that computing, like most other forms of contemporary technology, is neither a miracle weapon nor a dud, but a set of tools that need constant attention and maintenance."
So, pat your accidental techies on the back today. Then take the steps necessary to recognize their valuable peer support in the budget and in job descriptions.¿The support they provide is a resource that you would be loath to lose, so let's start counting their contributions and ensuring that those who support you get the support they need.
Jeffrey J. Forster, Technology Services Director
Bayer Center of Nonprofit Management