Impact of individual perceptions of technology on turnover intention among IT professionals

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the dimensions of technology on which information technology (IT) professionals assess and evaluate a given technology. The authors believe that these dimensions influence their career outcomes and hold the potential to explain the intent to leave among IT professionals. Design/methodology/approach This study hypothesizes that the likelihood of a given technology being assessed favorably depends on various technology features perceived by IT professionals. These features influence their career prospects, thus influencing work outcomes like turnover intention. This study uses a survey-based quantitative technique to test the proposed research model. Data has been recorded from 312 IT professionals working in different service-based IT firms. Findings The findings of this study indicate that the technology IT professionals work with impacts their work and career-related outcomes. IT professionals evaluate and understand technology to assess the favorability of these technologies. Individual preferences to work with a specific technology are driven by that technology's possible influence on career outcomes such as the availability of job opportunities. Research limitations/implications This study proposes that assigned technology influences career outcomes among IT professionals and has a potential to explain their turnover intentions. The authors have found that technologies fulfilling their career expectations, such as better work opportunities and job security, might be favorable for IT professionals. Unmet expectations with the assigned technology affect the turnover intention among IT professionals. Though this study examines turnover intention as an outcome, future studies can explore the attributes of technology relevant to IT professionals and their impact on other significant consequences such as work exhaustion and job satisfaction. Practical implications With a growing attrition rate and significant demand for skilled IT professionals, the importance of studying their behavior has become essential for both academia and the industry. Despite ample research, there is still a gap between theory and practice. This study on IT professionals proposes that understanding technology and how it is perceived, understood and evaluated by IT professionals might provide significant insights into their work behavior. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by describing the unexplored phenomenon of the impact of technology assignment on IT professionals' work outcomes. This study is valuable in exploring a new dimension to explain turnover intention.