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Preparing for the future means supporting our IT workforce

Posted by Lois Brooks on January 15, 2025

A message from Lois Brooks, vice provost for information technology and chief information officer:

As we navigate the evolving landscape of higher education technology, one truth remains constant: our success depends on our people.

At UW–‍Madison, we’re fortunate to have an exceptional community of IT professionals who bring diverse perspectives and experience, deep expertise, and unwavering dedication to advancing our university’s mission. You are not just a part of the team—you are the backbone of our mission.

The pace of technological change demands that we think strategically about how we support and develop our IT workforce across the university. This isn’t just about meeting today’s needs—it’s about preparing for tomorrow while sustaining our teams during transformation.

Here are 4 key focus areas that will help us succeed:

Creating career development pathways

Maintaining an engaged and thriving IT workforce through times of change requires career pathways that align individual growth with institutional needs. In the future, this could require moving beyond traditional career ladders to embrace a more diversified approach.

A case study of UC Irvine’s EVOLVE program (Gartner login required) is worth checking out. They used AI to create gamified tools and personalized interactions to help employees assess their skills and interests, identify potential career paths, and develop targeted training plans. Their program achieved a 72% regular user return rate.

Some other ideas to consider:

  • Look for opportunities in mentoring and hands-on field training.
  • Be proactive about succession planning and check in regularly about the future of your team or department.
  • Hold career conversations more frequently to foster a sense of autonomy and ownership over your career development.

Fostering continuous learning

Work cultures that value continuous learning create more innovative, resilient and adaptable institutions. This isn’t about adding more to already full plates—it’s about integrating learning into our daily work. Continuous learning means moving beyond “education workshops” to genuine training—where the learner has the time and space to take in new information, reflect on it, repeat and practice the new skills and concepts, and make necessary adjustments.

Continuous learning requires giving each other space and time to learn and grow. Consider these simple “culture hacks” designed to help create space for reflection and growth:

  • Add focus time to your personal daily agenda.
  • Schedule meetings to end 5 or 10 minutes early to build in transition and reflection time.
  • Check in regularly with your team about what professional development interests them and encourage them to pursue their goals.
  • Explore mentoring opportunities like the UW IT Mentoring program.

Building inclusive teams

“Diversity is our strength” is not just a catchphrase—it’s a reality when you’re working to solve problems and implement services that people rely on. Complex challenges require diverse perspectives, and everyone brings valuable expertise to the table. It’s vital to build inclusive practices into our IT teams to support the innovation and collaboration we’ll need to embrace our future challenges.

Here’s some food for thought for people who lead teams and projects:

  • Consider rotating presenting responsibilities to empower all team members to contribute their unique insights.
  • When someone shares an idea or sends a message, take a moment to acknowledge them directly to show you’ve heard them.
  • Ask team members what kind of work energizes them and then help them pursue projects and opportunities that match their interests and goals.
  • Let people express themselves in their own way. Don’t try to reword or “translate” what others are saying unless they ask for help.

Supporting work-life balance

Finally, we must acknowledge the challenge of maintaining work-life balance during times of change. Burnout is a real concern that requires active attention from IT leadership across the university. Long hours, deadlines, communication challenges, and energy-intensive projects can affect our well-being and effectiveness. But burnout is not inevitable. Here are some proactive ways to keep burnout at bay:

  • Establish “no-meeting days” to allow for focused work time and reduce context-switching fatigue.
  • Set and respect clear boundaries around after-hours communication and on-call rotations.
  • Prioritize flexible scheduling to accommodate people’s lives and needs outside of the workplace.
  • Encourage regular breaks and time off, ensuring backup coverage so employees can truly disconnect when away.
  • Don’t just encourage your team to follow these practices. Model them yourself as well.

These aren’t just nice-to-have benefits—they’re support pillars for sustaining high-performing teams through periods of transformation.

Moving forward together

These focus areas aren’t just theoretical—they’re essential for our future success. And they’re already taking root across the university. I see examples every day of teams experimenting with new approaches to career development, learning, inclusion and well-being. Each success story builds momentum for broader change.

As we move into 2025, are there small changes you could make that would make a big difference for your team or unit?

Our strength lies in our community. By supporting each other’s growth and well-being, we build the foundation for innovation that will define UW–‍Madison’s digital future. Your contributions, no matter how small, have the potential to make a significant impact.

Best,

—Lois

This is part of our Envision the Future blog series examining key technology trends and opportunities in higher education. Join us each month as we explore different facets of UW–‍Madison’s IT future.

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