Motivation and Information System Professionals

Abstract

Uses the job characteristics theory and additional research to measure the impact of growth needs, group interaction, advanced technology, change acceptance and the motivating potential of jobs in the IS profession. Specifically, IS maintenance professionals were compared with IS development professionals in a large midwestern organization in a study in which 208 IS professionals from four maintenance and development groups participated. Find a significant difference between IS developers and IS maintenance personnel in growth needs, advance technology strength and change acceptance. The motivating potential of jobs and group interaction strength were found not to be significant. The findings suggest that IS developers accept changes more readily than IS maintenance personnel. Thus, subgroups in the IS profession react differently to change. Advance technology will benefit IS developers more than IS maintenance personnel, suggesting that advanced technology should be given to the system developers first. IS developers respond more positively to positions which provide an opportunity to stretch their abilities, providing higher personal growth. This research could be used by practitioners and academics to manage the workforce of the future and to add to the database on motivation.

Citation

Griesser, J.W. (1993), "Motivation and Information System Professionals", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 21-30. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683949310027772