A very modern professional: the case of the IT service support worker

The IT profession has retained a reputation as a ‘privileged area of the labour market’ (Webster, 2005, p.4; Bannerji, 2011). Workers practicing IT skills have been at the forefront of the competitive drive for innovation and efficiency gains promoted by a neoliberal enterprise ideology (Blackler et al, 2003). In the last two decades, as systems thinking (e.g. Ackoff, 1999) and customer-centric practices (e.g. Levitt, 2006) have converged in a globally powerful IT service management (ITSM) ‘best practice’ discourse (Trusson et al, 2013), the IT service support worker has emerged to be a worker-type of considerable socio-economic importance. Aside from keeping organizational information systems operative, when such systems fail these workers are called upon to rapidly restore the systems and thus head-off any negative commercial or political consequences. Yet these workers are acknowledged only as objectified resources within the ITSM ‘best practice’ literature (e.g. Taylor, Iqbal and Nieves, 2007) and largely overlooked as a distinctive contemporary worker-type within academic discourse. This paper, through analysis of salary data and qualitative data collected for a multiple case study research project, considers the extent to which these workers might be conceived of as being ‘professionals’. The project approached the conceptual study of these workers through three lenses. This paper focuses on the project’s consideration of them as rationalised information systems assets within ‘best practice’ ITSM theory. It also draws upon our considerations of them as knowledge workers and service workers. We firstly situate the IT service support worker within a broader model of IT workers comprising four overlapping groupings: managers, developers, technical specialists and IT service support workers. Three types of IT service support worker are identified: first-line workers who routinely escalate work; second-line workers; and ‘expert’ single-line workers. With reference to close associations made with call centre workers (e.g. Murphy, 2011) the status of IT service support workers is explored through analysis of: (i) salary data taken from the ITJOBSWATCH website; and (ii) observational and interview data collected in the field. From this we challenge the veracity of the notion that the whole occupational field of IT might be termed a profession concurrently with the notion that a profession implies work of high status. Secondly, the paper explores two forces that might be associated with the professionalization of IT as an occupation: (i) rationalisation of the field (here promoted by the British Computer Society); and (ii) formalisation of IT theoretical/vocational education. A tension is identified, with those IT service support workers whose work is least disposed to rationalisation and whose complex ‘stocks of knowledge’ (Schutz, 1953) have been acquired through time-spent practice laying claim to greater IT professional status. Thirdly, consideration is given to individuals’ personal career orientations: occupational, organizational and customer-centric (Kinnie and Swart, 2012). We find that whilst organizations expect IT service support workers to be orientated towards serving the interests of the organization and its clients, the most individualistically professional tend towards being occupationally orientated, enthusiastically (re)developing their skills to counter skills obsolescence in an evolving technological arena (Sennett, 2006)

A Theoretical Exploration on the Standing of Liberal Arts in the Civil Engineering Curriculum

Civil engineers' lack of humanities values might result in mismatches between the former and latter. One major hiccup and potential remedy to this situation lie in the civil engineering curriculum. This study aims to explore liberal arts in the civil engineering curriculum through a systematic literature review. This study is among the few recent undertakings that have relived the importance of liberal arts in the civil engineering curriculum to produce well-rounded civil engineers. Both technical and human skills are required to confront the dynamic and ever-changing society inherent in the growth of civil engineering students as future engineers. Keywords: civil engineering; curriculum; liberal arts; systematic literature review eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i19.326

From intraorganizational struggle to co-operation between organisational professions. An ethnographic study of a French based industrial company.

Alors que la plupart des études illustrent une montée en puissance de la fonction financière, peu d'attention a été accordée à une coexistence possible entre plusieurs rationalités. En étudiant les pratiques de contrôle de gestion observées lors d'une enquête ethnographique, nous montrons comment la confrontation entre groupes divergents laisse parfois la place à des formes de négociation et de coopération. Plus que le pouvoir ou la domination, les groupes essayent parfois simplement de vivre ensemble.Little attention has been given to the coexistence that could exist between several rationales. Most studies illustrate the victory of the financial rationale, other groups trying in vain to resist change. In this paper, based on an ethnographic study of management control practices, we try to show how two groups oppose each other, following divergent rationales. More than power or domination, however, they seek to find a way to live with each other. Struggles and conflicts translate into negotiation and co-operation.Ethnography; Co-operation; intraorganizational struggle; Contrôle de gestion;

Experimenting with Realism in Software Engineering Team Projects: An Experience Report

Over Several years, we observed that our students were sceptical of Software Engineering practices, because we did not convey the experience and demands of production quality software development. Assessment focused on features delivered, rather than imposing responsibility for longer term `technical debt'. Academics acting as 'uncertain' customers were rejected as malevolent and implausible. Student teams composed of novices lacked the benefits of leadership provided by more experienced engineers. To address these shortcomings, real customers were introduced, exposing students to real requirements uncertainty. Flipped classroom teaching was adopted, giving teams one day each week to work on their project in a redesigned laboratory. Software process and quality were emphasised in the course assessment, imposing technical debt. Finally, we introduced a leadership course for senior students, who acted as mentors to the project team students. This paper reports on the experience of these changes, from the perspective of different stakeholders

Competing institutional trajectories in organization.

Our paper is based on an ethnographic approach. One of the authors has conducted an ethnographic study at TechCo, a multinational aeronautic company, during 4 months. Following the actors, actants and allies at TechCo, we will show that two institutional trajectories compete for controlling the organization. Financial and technical rationales confront each other in order to control TechCo. Those two rationales or institutional trajectories are supported by discourses, inscriptions or managerial devices. By examining those discourses, inscriptions and devices, we will try to enlighten control in action through two competing institutional trajectories – financial and technical. This approach, which we qualify as “controlizing”, is necessary to observe practices in the field. Latour (2002) thus observed the manufacture of law. We have observed here the manufacture of control. Controlizing is characterised by the search for a highly hybrid content more than by the study of actors alone, containers (the tools), processes or outcomes.Management control; ethnography; Competing trajectories;

Professional extension support: A prerequisite for sustainable irrigation development

This paper presents an overview of the concepts profession, professional and professionalism and reflects on the general perceptions for professional extension support in irrigation management perceived by small- scale and commercial irrigation farmers. It also portrays the findings on the assessment of the technical competence and knowledge of irrigation extensionists. Possible barriers why irrigation extensionists often lack to do their work in a professional manner are discussed. A discussion of several recommendations that might help to restore the self-esteem of individuals and improve the service delivery of the irrigation extension profession concludes the paper. Keywords: Profession, professional, professionalism, sustainable irrigation and extension.South African Journal of Agricultural Extension Vol. 36 (1) 2007: pp. 170-18

Applying Design Based Research to New Work-Integrated PBL Model (The Iron Range Engineering Bell Program)

A new project-based model of engineering education is being developed to deliver an upper-division (final two years of four-year bachelor degree) experience. The experience is centred on students working directly in industry through engineering apprentice (cooperative education/internship) employment. Students will work in industry, completing projects, for the last two years of their education while being supported in their technical and professional development by professors, facilitators, and their peers through use of digital communication. This new model focuses on learning being more imbedded in professional practice, in contrast to the more traditional model of engineering, where the learning about the profession is done in the abstract of a classroom. The learning experience is designed to open doors for greater access to engineering education. Developed for community college graduates (entering students who have completed first two years of engineering bachelor requirement) in the United States, the program will serve a more ethnically and gender diverse student body. The innovative new model focuses on the development of transversal competences, a new set of teacher roles in PBL, industry-university collaboration, curricular design, continuous evaluation of practice, use of e-learning, and the students\u27 learning processes. The program pilot starts July 2019. This paper will describe the new model, the design-based research method being used, report on the steps completed to date, introduce new sets of data on the new model, analyse the data, evaluate its impact, and result in the next iteration of design improvement. It will primarily focus on program development and the research approach for evaluation of the education model

Learning Philosophy in the 21st Century

This study will answer the question, what do students expect to learn from philosophy teachers in the 21st century. by framing a response based on the following: The researcher’s teaching philosophy developed over 30 years, a survey conducted of UAEU students, and a discussion of the changing role and purpose of philosophy in the academy and current pedagogical philosophy in teaching. The study has focused on how philosophical questions have been changed over time, using new technology to teach philosophy, what are the characteristics of philosophy teachers and students, the new direction for teaching philosophy, and career opportunities. The practical frame of this research will be analyzed students survey conducted on female students from United Arab Emirates University. I will use the method of content analysis to investigate and trace this phenomenon to determine its meaning, developing philosophical questions, and the new direction for teaching philosophy. Then I will examine the data taken from the theoretical and practical sources for the purpose of diagnosing and reaching conclusions a process which is called in philosophy synthesis, therefore the approach of the research would be analysis and synthesis