IT Skills in the Public Sector: Comparing the Views of Middle Managers and Their Supervisors

Abstract

This paper reports on a two-phased study designed to examine the perceived importance of a wide range of information technology (IT) skills by mid-level and senior managers in a large public sector organization. The first phase gathered data from 242 lower to mid-level IT professionals. The second phase gathered the same data from the senior supervisors of those professionals to provide some additional perspectives from those in the organization responsible for the career advancement of the individuals sampled in the first phase. The results suggest that both groups perceive interpersonal skills to be the most important IT skill set, followed by managerial skills. Technical skills, while important, were perceived to be the least important (relatively speaking) for current IT professionals within this organization. One possible explanation for the latter finding takes into account the current trend toward outsourcing some of the technical functions within organizations, rather than relying on in- house skills to provide those services. Recommendations for IT curriculum development and the education of future IT professionals are provided.