Career orientation and organizational commitment of IT personnel

ABSTRACT

The management of information technology (IT) personnel poses unique challenges, but managers may be able to provide IT professionals with appropriate opportunities and career paths by matching individual expectations with job characteristics. This study is designed to identify the career anchors possessed by current IT personnel and to identify which career anchors are the strongest determinants of organizational commitment. Results from a pilot study identified four career anchors or orientations prevalent in IT personnel: Creativity, Autonomy, Identity, and Variety. Responses from sixty-six IT professionals were analyzed; and a weighted variation of Time in Job, Variety, Autonomy, and Identity explained 38% of the variation in Organizational Commitment.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.6 MANAGEMENT OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
      K.6.1 Project and People Management
          Subjects: Staffing

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

General Terms:
Human Factors, Management, Performance

Keywords:
IT workforce, career anchors, organizational commitment