How Can an Organization Develop and Retain Competent IT Workforce: The Role of IT Leadership

This study aims to provide a systematic framework with which business organizations learn to develop competent IT professionals and retain them. Derived from both IT academics and practices, the proposed model is based on a comprehensive set of critical knowledge and skills currently required on the job and uses IT leadership as a key factor playing an important role. Specifically, the study focuses on examining how leadership behaviors on the part of IT managers/executives influence their IT personnel to develop and enhance their knowledge and skills sets. This will, in turn, increase IT personnel’s needs satisfaction, quality-of-work-life (QWL) to improve the chance of retaining those IT personnel (with high in their needs satisfaction). In so doing, the study expects to provide IT practitioners with practical insights in how to develop currently required IT skills and retain the qualified IT workforces for long-run to maintain the level of the performance of the IT unit.