Diversity and the Information Technology Workforce: Barriers and Opportunities

Abstract

This paper reviews the academic community's response through research and curriculum initiatives to the practitioner's requirements for a diverse information technology (IT) workforce. The paper then highlights opportunities for future IT research by matching current academic research to organizational diversity issues, exposing the gaps and opportunities therein. This issue is important because the call for a diverse workforce has been heard for some time now with varying degrees of implementation. Diversity in the workforce has multiple dimensions, from diversity in perspectives to diversity in terms of ethnicity,¹ age, gender² and disabilities. It will be shown that little if any IT research has addressed IT recruitment and management for diversity although the effects of this diversity on team processes and performance can and will impact organizational outcomes.