Age, Gender, and Cognitive Style Differneces in IS Professionals

Abstract

There is a long tradition of research on IS professionals that has examined potential gender differences between men and women, beginning with early studies by Igbaria and his colleagues (Guimaraes & Igbaria 1992; Igbaria & Chidambaram 1997; Igbaria & Siegel 1992). While these and many subsequent studies posited differences between men and women IS professionals, very few differences have been found—particularly for variables that are commonly studied: job satisfaction, turnover intentions, organizational commitment, and stress. I first summarize the results from many survey studies published in leading IS scholarly journals, as a way to frame my research on the adaptation of IS professionals to innovations in work practices. Then I summarize my program of research examining demographic variables, including age, gender and cognitive style differences as explanatory variables for a range of outcomes among IS professionals.