Skills in an environment of turbulence: a survey of information systems professionals in New Zealand

• Authors: D. John Monin;Philip J. Dewe
• Venue: SIGCPR '94 Proceedings of the 1994 computer personnel research conference on Reinventing IS : managing information technology in changing organizations: managing information technology in changing organizations
• Year: 1994

Based on a survey of 443 members of the New Zealand Computer Society, this study examines whether the skills requirements for information systems professionals have changed in the turbulent economic environment New Zealand has experienced during the last decade. Respondents to the questionnaire were asked to rate the importance of thirty-five skill items during the period they have been working under their present job designation. Although this exploratory study is not restricted to the last decade, the research expectations are that there has been a definite shift in the skills requirement. The focus is on the categorization of the skills as business-related or technology-related, this being the distinction traditionally accepted by most researchers to date. The results, however, of this study indicate a blurring of such a dichotomy, due possibly to a perception by the more experienced members of the profession that there has been a pronounced swing towards a requirement for more business-related skills. This research suggests a model to cater for this phenomenon, and a more comprehensive set of skill items for further research.