Building theory about IT professionals: is a taxonomy or typology the answer?

ABSTRACT

A major barrier to our ability to integrate studies and build cumulative theory about IT jobs and IT workers is the lack of consistency in terminology and conceptualizations of the profession, the jobs within the profession and the salient characteristics of those jobs. The purpose of this research is to examine how two different approaches - an IT jobs taxonomy or IT jobs typology - could be used to provide a standard framework to address this issue. The paper includes illustrations of the problem and overviews of the two approaches.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.7 THE COMPUTING PROFESSION
      K.7.1 Occupations

General Terms:
Theory

Keywords:
IT jobs, IT professionals, ideal types, job classification, taxonomy, typology