Monday, November 10, 2008

Employee Qualities Desired by IT Management

Computerworld magazine from November 10, 2008 cites ethics and morals as the top traits sought by information technology leaders based on an online survey by the Society for Information Management-SIM ("SIM Survey: Ethics, Morals Top Workplace-Skills Wish Lists of IT Execs"). "Gauging the moral fiber of job applicants" is a key aspect of the Dannon Co. hiring process according to Mike Close, chief technology officer. Jerry Luftman, a professor at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J. and SIM's vice president of academic affairs noted that "circumventing security systems" and other misdeeds by technology employees has spurred the increased interest in assessing the ethical attitudes of new hires.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is it possible to determine a prospective employee's moral compass in a brief interview?
  2. Is it most important that a company's administration exhibits ethical behavior to demonstrate what is expected of all employees?
  3. Should all companies use and enforce a code of ethics so employees know what actions are acceptable and the consequences for not following the code?