Abstract
This study examines the occupational values of IT professionals across the world. Using the three-way perspective of cultural theory as 1) integrated, 2) differentiated, and 3) fragmented allows for a more comprehensive view of IT Occupational Culture (ITOC). Conducted under the auspices of the World IT Project, survey responses were gathered from more than 10,000 IT workers in 37 different countries. The findings provide global-based support for the ITOC ideology of values: Autonomy in Decision-Making, Structure in the Workplace, Precision in Communication, Innovation in Technology, Reverence for Technical Knowledge, and Enjoyment at the Workplace (abbreviated as ASPIRE). The most important value was Reverence for Technical Knowledge. ITOC is both more homogeneous and, at the same time, more complex than originally thought. While there are surprising global similarities in ITOC around the world, there are also important differences, which may be due to national culture, especially with regard to Structure in the Workplace and Precision in Communication. A better understanding of ITOC around the world should help reduce the amount of cultural clash between IT departments and business management.
DOI
10.17705/1CAIS.05139
Recommended Citation
Jacks, T., Palvia, P., Serenko, A., & Ghosh, J. (2022). Global Perspectives on IT Occupational Culture: A Three-Way Cultural Analysis. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 51, pp-pp. https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.05139
When commenting on articles, please be friendly, welcoming, respectful and abide by the AIS eLibrary Discussion Thread Code of Conduct posted here.
