Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 7. Comparative ratings of hard skills by IS practitioners and employers
IS/IT Profe
ssionals
IS/IT Emp
loyers
Skills
Mean
Mean
Communications and report writing
6.02
1.05
6.09
0.81
Analysis and design
5.87
1.09
5.63
1.26
Client server applications
5.67
0.92
5.37
1.15
Business applications
5.65
1.11
5.76
1.20
Use operating systems
5.60
1.10
5.39
1.27
Database design
5.55
1.25
5.12
1.16
Management
5.54
1.03
5.20
1.10
Knowledge of PC apps
5.43
1.22
5.41
1.37
Project management
5.43
1.16
5.60
1.24
E-commerce/e-business development
5.33
1.23
4.78
1.38
Apply OOPs
5.26
1.25
4.61
1.51
LAN and Data comms
5.22
1.27
5.55
1.22
Large system experience
5.12
1.19
4.54
1.53
Business ethics
5.07
1.57
5.23
1.52
Web design/development
4.96
1.54
4.67
1.15
Organizational behavior
4.90
1.41
4.92
1.34
Data mining/data warehousing
4.76
1.36
4.66
1.36
Apply 3GLs
4.70
1.41
4.15
1.58
CASE applications
4.51
1.32
3.80
1.42
Knowledge base/expert systems
4.49
1.42
4.20
1.37
ERP implementations and operations
4.48
1.39
4.33
1.61
Marketing
4.35
1.52
4.39
1.34
Business finance
4.30
1.50
4.54
1.47
Operations research
4.29
1.26
4.32
1.26
Mathematical modeling
4.25
1.44
3.97
1.49
International business
4.24
1.59
3.69
1.56
Business statistics
4.18
1.40
4.33
1.38
Accounting
4.13
1.55
4.68
1.38
Business or commercial law
4.07
1.55
4.12
1.45
Psychology
3.70
1.76
3.85
1.46
Economics
3.63
1.50
3.68
1.47
Foreign languages
3.15
1.78
3.04
1.46
136
138
All but one “soft” skill achieved a mean rating exceeding five for both groupings.
Seventeen (out of 24) of the “soft” skills were rated in excess of six by the “higher people
contact” group of practitioners. Fifteen of the “lower people contact” group rated these
higher than six. Closer inspection of Table 4 and Table 7 reveals that the highest rated IS area,
Analysis and Design, rated below all but seven of the soft skills in Table 7.
Teamwork, problem-solving skills, ability to work under pressure, and ability to quickly
acquire new skills independently, are each rated quite high, close to essential, by IS
practitioners, irrespective of the level of people contact their work activity involves. Only one
soft skill, ability to prepare multimedia presentations, rated relatively low, and it could be
argued that this is not a true soft IS skill.
