Barely managing: Attitudes of information technology professionals on management technique

This paper presents findings from exploratory research into the attitudes of information technology (IT) professionals about the role management has played or could play in computing activities. It also looks at the subsidiary questions of what might be desirable preparation of managers for directing IT professionals, what the barriers to this are, and how this preparation might be stimulated. The paper is based on in-depth, ethnographic interviews conducted in 2001 with 30 IT professionals from both public and private sectors in New Mexico.