Examining and Extending the Theory of IT Occupational Culture in a Global Context

This research examines the occupational culture of IT workers around the world using a large, global data set. Demographic variables of gender, age, years of IT experience, management status, and IT role are used to explore differences in the ASPIRE values of IT workers, namely: Autonomy in Decision-Making, Structure in the Workplace, Precision in Communication, Innovation in Technology, Reverence for Technical Knowledge, and Enjoyment in the Workplace. Results show that while the importance of Autonomy grows over time, other ASPIRE values decrease in importance over the span of an IT career. Reverence for Technical Knowledge and Innovation in Technology represent a consistent core of ITOC with few differences by demographic variables. Thus, ITOC, as measured by ASPIRE values, is an important example of a cultural layer that is more similar than different, regardless of age, gender, years of experience, management status, or role. The results extend Schein’s model of culture.