An Integrated Framework Linking IT Human Resource Strategies and Individual Career Motives to the Staying Behaviors of IT Professionals

The problem of locating, recruiting, and retaining information technology (IT) professionals in a market plagued by supply-demand imbalances is increasingly becoming a top priority with senior IT executives Although there is widespread acknowledgement in the practitioner literature of the pivotal role played by the IT human asset, the academic literature provides limited robust explanations for addressing the staying behaviors of IT professionals. Motivated by the need to extend our understanding of the retention of IT human capital, this paper presents a new theoretical perspective that integrates two traditional explanations: one organization-centric and the other individual-centric. The underlying basis for this integrated perspective is an adaptation of Rousseau’s (1995) theory of psychological contracts. We focus on two critical factors in Rousseau’s theory: messages organizations send, specifically through the IT HR strategy as reflected in IT HR practices, and individual predispositions in the form of career motives of IT professionals. We develop a theory of staying behavior by explicating these two concepts – IT HR strategy and career motives of IT professionals. A grounded theory approach is used to develop the concept of IT HR strategy. Two conceptual archetypes of strategy and hypotheses relating them to staying behavior are derived. A more deductive approach, involving a review and discussion of two elements of career motives – career stage and career anchor – is used to develop the concept of career motives of IT professionals. The effects of these career motives on staying behavior are posited to be mediated by the individual’s preferred employment duration, which represents a key component of Rousseau’s psychological contract. Preliminary insights into the new integrated perspective that juxtaposes IT HR strategy with IT professionals’ career motives are offered. Investigation of the propositions presented here is only one part of a future research agenda. We also articulate unanswered questions – theoretical, practical, and measurement – that would be important to investigate.