Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
- Altruism: those who develop a professional outlook should recognise that their
work is primarily a form of public service, and that public interest should guide
their judgment and decision-making.
- Intellectual modesty: they should recognise that the quality of their work
depends upon their knowledge and understand, therefore, that cognitive
limitations and obsolescence of knowledge can reduce the quality of their
work. This recognition leads to a respect for others and motivates continuous
learning.
- Integrity: they should accept full responsibility for their work and remain honest
with themselves and with others.
Flexner's words are particularly appropriate in the field of IT:
But, after all, what matters most is professional spirit. All activities may be prosecuted in
the genuine professional spirit. In so far as accepted professions are prosecuted at a
mercenary or selfish level, law and medicine are ethically no better than trades. In so far
as trades are honestly carried on, they tend to rise toward the professional level. [
...
] In the
long run, the first, main and indispensable criterion of a profession will be the possession of
a professional spirit, [
...
] (Flexner
1910
)
4.3
IT Professionals in Business Organisations
4.3.1 Constraints on IT Professionals in Workplaces
IT professionals now have significant social responsibility; this will never diminish
because of their intentional and/or unintentional power (Huff
2004
) over a wide
range of people and groups. The development and deployment of IT and informa-
tion systems has transformed society irreversibly (Murata
2001
), and the decision-
making and value judgments that IT professionals embed in the IT and information
systems they develop constitute an invisible factor in this transformation.
It is impossible to ignore the fact that the majority of IT professionals work for
business organisations; they work in the context of a market economy and a
business structure. Sometimes, they may be coerced into following 'logic of
business' that causes them to lose touch with the public interest.
Usually, IT professionals in workplaces are under two types of constraint:
contractual and intellectual. The latter involves human factors such as limits to
cognition and knowledge; this is inevitable for both IT professional individuals and
groups. The former relates to the multiple roles played by an IT professional in the
workplace; he/she is required to follow working regulations as an employee, to
abide by a code of professional conduct as a professional, to meet due dates on a
budget as a contractor, to support a household as a member of a family, and so on.
These constraints often prevent IT professionals from developing their sense of
professional ethics and outlook, thereby constraining their sense of responsibility
and accountability. For instance, problems in software codes caused by many hands
