The impact of emerging practices on IS specialists: perceptions, attitudes and role changes in Hong Kong

The recent literature has addressed many financial and managerial aspects of downsizing, end-user computing, outsourcing, re-engineering, and CASE-based applications development. In contrast, little is known about how the IS community perceives and is affected by these emerging practices. A recent study examined the perceptions and attitudes of IS specialists in Hong Kong, London and New York City. This article reports on the survey results from Hong Kong, where staff members of IS departments expressed serious concerns about emerging IT management practices as well as their changing roles and responsibilities. Few IS specialists foresaw the rise of systems integrators/coordinators or favoured changes away from the traditional IS career path. These attitudes were related to perceptions of skill set inadequacy, limited training and self-development opportunities, and reluctance to serve as change agents. Both gender and work experience significantly affected perceptions as well as attitudes. The implications for both IS and human resource management are considered while specific areas for further research are identified.