ABSTRACT
The way that people are treated in the workplace and the cultural atmosphere set by the chief executive and, in the larger concern the board, can make or break a firm. This is especially important in the IT industry, since software development is, as we have seen, a highly creative affair. Creativity is a delicate flower which blooms only in a climate which encourages the cultivation of skills and competencies. It needs the sunshine of encouragement from the company’s decision makers and the rain of technical training to make the most of the fertile soil of methodologies, tools and languages. For change to be successful, it needs both a sponsor and a champion. The sponsor is one who has the power and authority to ensure the public endorsement of top management. The champion has clarity of vision to manage and implement the changes themselves. Both of these individuals, working together in pull and push fashion ensure that movement eventually happens.
