Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
tends to result in a confusion of responsibilities for goal setting. The problem here is
the
nosism
of organisations, not egoism.
These Imamichi's arguments suggest that the development of professionalism in
IT professionals is vital to overcoming nosism in organisations in which IT is
developed and/or used as well as to eliminating the ambiguity over responsibilities
for IT development and/or use. Business organisations are usually thought to make
decisions based on their productivity and economic efficiency, even though busi-
ness ethics and corporate social responsibility have recently become a popular topic
of conversation. In Japan, government organisations have tended not to hesitate to
use technology to ensure social order and security, especially since the September
11 attacks. Under these circumstances, preserving human rights and ensuring social
responsibility with respect to IT development and use have often been understated.
In addition, Japan's group-oriented culture, in which one's self-actualisation is
often based on the perception of relationships with members of one's primary group
(Nakane
1978
), may encourage group nosism and a confusion of responsibilities for
group behaviour. Developing a professional outlook and maintaining personal
independence is important for those engaged in the development and use of IT to
ensure socially responsible development and use of IT in Japan. However, obstacles
exist for this in Japanese society as well as in the Japanese IT industry.
4.3.3.2 Senmonka and Professional
In Japan, there are 13 kinds of national accredited certificates relating to IT (10 for
IT professionals, 1 for system auditors, and 2 for end-users). One objective of these
certificates is to establish the social status of IT engineers. However, few Japanese
firms require certification, even IT related firms such as hardware manufacturers,
software houses, and IT consulting firms. Work experience in system development
or maintenance is considered more important, and is used to evaluate the abilities of
IT professionals.
Many IT employees in Japanese firms, especially firms related to IT, are called
system engineers (SEs). This job title covers employees who engage in information
system analysis, design and development, and project management. They are also
often responsible for pre-sale and post-sale technical consulting. SEs do not have
high status in Japanese firms or society. On the contrary, they are often considered
'disposable' personnel because their job is so physically demanding; in addition,
they are usually required to finish their work by a scheduled completion date, which
is usually set very tightly.
The Japanese word
Senmonka
is considered to correspond to the English word
'professional'. However,
Senmonka
does not exactly correspond to the term 'pro-
fessional' in the narrow sense described in Sect.
4.2.1
, and Japanese in general do
not recognise the difference between a professional and an artisan, nor between a
profession and a trade. This makes it difficult for ordinary Japanese to associate a
professional with social interest.
