TRANSFERABILITY OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES ALONG IT CAREER PATHS: AN AGENCY THEORY PERSPECTIVE
Agency theory is proposed as a framework for explaining the design of IT jobs and career paths. To support this theory, data about knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) were gathered and analyzed from Fortune 500 job listings for the Programmer/Analyst -> Systems Analyst -> IT Manager career path. The results indicate that agency theory has significant predictive power over the type and importance of IT KSAs for job sequences along IT career paths. The results have implications for both researchers who are looking for theories that explain IT job design and career path development and managers who are challenged with decisions about how to design IT jobs and manage IT career paths.
agency theory ksas fortune 500 job design information technology professionals information technology career paths skill transferability