The evolution of IT (computer) personnel research

Abstract

Scholars have been publishing research on IT work and workers since at least 1965. The work is a testimony to the longevity and importance of topics concerning computer personnel, human resource management, and the information technology workforce. Human resources have consistently been noted as a top concern of MIS leaders through a series of "key issues" studies (Brancheau et al., 1996; Niederman et al., 1991; Brancheau & Wetherbe, 1987; Dickson & Wetherbe, 1984; and Ball & Harris, 1982). The research also shows that along with the evolution of information technology there is a parallel evolution of skills and capabilities; that allows IT specialists to continue designing and implementing new technologies, which enable users to introduce them into business, science, and other environments to create value. A review of the original proceedings of the special interest group on computer personnel research from 1965, shows that the field has also progressed substantially.Almost four decades ago, scholars began by producing very basic descriptive research on job analysis and job description, how to train personnel, assessment techniques, and the effects of attitudes on learning. As the old saying goes, the more things change the more they stay the same. A look at the state of IT personnel in the early part of the 21st century shows that we continue to research similar problems such as periods of high demand for IT workers punctuated with periods of slowdown (remember the doldrums of the early 1990s?), investigate approaches and techniques for increasing IT worker productivity (remember the introductions of COBOL, CASE tools, and more recently extreme programming?), and struggle with issues of diversity in the IT workplace. Even the issue of outsourcing is not new. One of the authors recalls serving as discussant in 1992 on a computer personnel research conference paper challenging IT workers to increase productivity or face the prospect of having their job outsourced!Although some of the major issues of the day seem to recur at regular intervals, others seem new or at least manifested in a new way. We believe that scholars are facing significant challenges in addressing at least four major issues that confront IT personnel: