Analyst to techies: talk it out

The geeks need to speak.

That, in a nutshell, is advice from research firm Gartner about how to raise the performance of information technology professionals.

As companies shift gears from cutting costs to trying to generate new revenue, IT managers should help their staffs collaborate and come up with fresh ideas, argues Gartner analyst Betsy Burton. Techies are famous for lacking communication skills, but those are vital for getting the most out of an IT department these days, according to Burton.

IT managers "have to go out and talk to people," she suggested.

Gartner will be making a presentation on the "high-performance workplace" Monday at its conference in San Francisco.