{"title":"Omnificence or Differentiation? An Empirical Study of Knowledge Structure and Career Development of IT Workers","authors":"Yingjie Zhang, Zhiqiang (Eric) Zheng, Bin Gu","doi":"10.1287/isre.2022.0634","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"This study explores the crucial yet underexamined labor supply side of the information technology (IT) job market, focusing on how IT professionals can strategically manage their knowledge diversity structures for career advancement. By introducing and operationalizing two novel metrics—knowledge omnificence and knowledge differentiation—the research examines their impact on IT workers’ salaries and job security. Through an extensive analysis of IT career data spanning from 2000 to 2016, the study reveals that moderate levels of knowledge omnificence and differentiation lead to the most favorable economic outcomes for IT professionals. Specifically, knowledge omnificence is associated with higher salary potential and career mobility, whereas knowledge differentiation is linked to enhanced job security. These findings provide actionable insights for IT workers aiming to optimize their career trajectories. Additionally, the study highlights the role of these knowledge structures in reducing gender disparities in the IT labor market, with women particularly benefiting from increased knowledge omnificence and differentiation. The research underscores the importance of strategic knowledge management for IT workers and offers valuable guidance for firms and policymakers to support a dynamic and equitable IT workforce.","PeriodicalId":48411,"journal":{"name":"Information Systems Research","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Information Systems Research","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2022.0634","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study explores the crucial yet underexamined labor supply side of the information technology (IT) job market, focusing on how IT professionals can strategically manage their knowledge diversity structures for career advancement. By introducing and operationalizing two novel metrics—knowledge omnificence and knowledge differentiation—the research examines their impact on IT workers’ salaries and job security. Through an extensive analysis of IT career data spanning from 2000 to 2016, the study reveals that moderate levels of knowledge omnificence and differentiation lead to the most favorable economic outcomes for IT professionals. Specifically, knowledge omnificence is associated with higher salary potential and career mobility, whereas knowledge differentiation is linked to enhanced job security. These findings provide actionable insights for IT workers aiming to optimize their career trajectories. Additionally, the study highlights the role of these knowledge structures in reducing gender disparities in the IT labor market, with women particularly benefiting from increased knowledge omnificence and differentiation. The research underscores the importance of strategic knowledge management for IT workers and offers valuable guidance for firms and policymakers to support a dynamic and equitable IT workforce.
本研究探讨了信息技术(IT)就业市场中至关重要但却未得到充分研究的劳动力供应方面,重点关注 IT 专业人员如何战略性地管理其知识多样性结构,以促进职业发展。通过引入和操作两个新的指标--知识全能性和知识差异化,研究探讨了这两个指标对信息技术工作者的薪酬和职业保障的影响。通过对 2000 年至 2016 年的 IT 职业数据进行广泛分析,研究揭示了中等水平的知识全面性和知识差异化会为 IT 专业人员带来最有利的经济成果。具体来说,知识全面性与更高的薪资潜力和职业流动性相关,而知识差异化则与更高的工作安全性相关。这些发现为旨在优化职业发展轨迹的 IT 从业人员提供了可操作的见解。此外,研究还强调了这些知识结构在缩小 IT 劳动力市场性别差异方面的作用,女性尤其能从知识的全面性和差异化中获益。这项研究强调了战略性知识管理对 IT 从业人员的重要性,并为企业和政策制定者提供了宝贵的指导,以支持建立一支充满活力、公平的 IT 员工队伍。
期刊介绍:
ISR (Information Systems Research) is a journal of INFORMS, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences. Information Systems Research is a leading international journal of theory, research, and intellectual development, focused on information systems in organizations, institutions, the economy, and society.