Publication: SAM Advanced Management Journal
Publication Date: 22-SEP-04
Format: Online - approximately 7055 words
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Author: Kaminski, Jennifer A. Muryn ; Reilly, Anne H.
Article Excerpt
Progress in science and technology is critical to the ability of U.S. organizations to stay competitive in a global marketplace, as well to continuous improvements in the standard of living American workers expect. In today's world of e-commerce and instant communication, companies depend on technological and computer expertise at all employment levels. Therefore, jobs in information technology and related fields have increased dramatically in recent years, and this trend is expected to continue well into the future.
The Information Technology Job Sector and Its Importance
The Information Technology Association of American (ITAA) estimates the U.S. information technology (IT) workforce in the range of 3.6 million workers (Messmer, 2003), and IT employment is projected to be among the fastest growing, according to Hecker (1999). Database administrators, computer support specialists, and all other computer scientists are projected to increase 118%; computer engineers, 109%; systems analysts, 103%; and computer programmers, 23%. (Abundant Career Opportunities Projected in Information Technology 1998). Kurtz (2003) notes that eight of the 10 fastest-growing U.S. occupations from 2000 to 2010 were in information technology. Additionally, employment in industries peripheral to high-tech but generated by purchases of high-technology industries has also increased substantially (Hecker, 1999).
Substantial evidence documents the importance to organizational effectiveness of skilled and motivated IT workers. In a survey of information technology executives, conducted by the ITAA and published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, "50% cited a lack of skilled/trained workers as 'the most significant barrier' to their companies growth during the next year." (America's New Deficit: The shortage of Information Technology Workers, 1997). This was viewed as a greater problem than economic conditions, profitability and lack of capital investment, taxes or regulation. An additional 20% of the IT executives reported that the shortage was a barrier to their companies' immediate growth. Further, an international survey of approximately 1,500 chief information officers conducted by Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group, cited in the same article, noted that IT managers throughout the world were experiencing a difficult combination of unprecedented demand for IT workers and high turnover rates, reported to be as high as 45%. In addition, this 1997 U.S. Department of Commerce report discussed the alarming possibility that the nation's ability to develop innovative products would be inhibited due to a shortage of IT workers, resulting in both a reduction of U.S. competitiveness as well as a constraint on economic growth. Just to be able to staff their organizations, IT hiring managers will be required to pay close attention to the career development issues facing their employees.
Career Issues in Information Technology
Defining "information technology" is subjective because it involves different types of industries and firms. The U.S. Congressional Office of Technology Assessment defines "high technology" firms as those engaged in designing, developing, and introducing new products and processes (Hecker, 1999). According to the Department of Labor, the IT industry includes all scientists, engineers, and technicians who create and apply new technologies regardless of their industry. Other occupations within IT include engineers, scientists, mathematical and computer specialists, technicians, managers of these positions, as well as those involved in delivering products or services within technology. The complexity and variety of skill sets required within IT contributes to career issues that are unique to employees in this industry. For purposes of this study, we use the following broad definition of information technology: "a term that covers all forms of technology used to create, store, transmit, interpret, and manipulate information in its various formats" (www.tecc.com.au/tecc/guide/glossary.asp).
Information technology employees require extensive knowledge of the theories and principles within their field, as well as hands-on training in hardware and software applications. Therefore, most IT workers need specialized post-high school education, which may range from an associate degree to a doctorate (Hecker, 1999). During the last 10 years, the number of students receiving university degrees in computer science has actually declined (America's New Deficit 1997). The U.S. Department of Education reports that the number of bachelor-level computer science degrees awarded by American universities declined more than 40% between 1986 and 1994.
Research has begun to address some of the key career development issues of IT employees. Finegold, Mohrman, and Spreitzer (2002) looked at the age of technical workers (under 30, 31-45, and over 45), their organizational commitment and their willingness to change companies. Tan and Hunter (2003) also explored factors affecting IT personnel turnover, such as project challenges and opportunity for personal growth. Igbaria, Parasuraman, and Badawy (1994) examined measures of work attitudes, such as job involvement and quality of work life, in their study of information systems staff. Appelbaum, Ayre, and Shapiro (2002) assessed the outcomes of career management and development within three different organizations in the IT sector. According to Lee (2002), IT professionals reported greater career satisfaction under circumstances of professional enhancement related to career planning and strategy. Some studies have looked at the relationship between technology and other work variables (e.g., a special 2003 issue of the Journal of Vocational Behavior), such as technology-enabled work, on-line/virtual teams, and telecommuting.
Gender and Career Issues in IT
In this exploratory study, we examine another dimension of the broad arena of IT careers: the link between gender and career and personal outcomes among IT professionals. The gender gap in the U.S. workplace as a whole has been documented for decades by scholars (Kanter, 1977; Powell, 1988; 1999). While statistics show that women have indeed made significant gains in employment and wage parity over the years, research continues to find that the salaries of females do not progress at the same rate as those of comparable males (Stroh, Brett, and Reilly, 1992; Schneer and Reitman, 1995). In fact, a high-level woman within any industry is still rare. Meyerson and Fletcher (2000) report that women compose 10% of senior managers in Fortune 500 companies, less than 4% of the ranks of CEO, president, executive vice president and COO, and less than 3% of top corporate earners. Even though progress has been made toward equality in the workplace, Rheem (1996) notes that women still experienced unfair treatment and negative attitudes on the job.
The gender gap appears to be even wider in the IT arena, at all levels of employment. The ITAA estimate of women workers in the overall IT workforce dropped from 41% to 35% between 1996 and 2002 (D'Agostino, 2003). According to Women at Work (2003), a recent research report published by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation, a national organization that promotes education and equity for women and girls, women...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.
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