The internal career orientation of permanent and contracting information technology staff

Abstract

The primary aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between types of employment (permanent or contracting) for two variables: flow and career success orientation in an information technology environment. The study was performed in a sub-division of a large telecommunications company that focuses on software development and implementation. Two questionnaires measuring flow and career success orientation, were administered to groups of 150 permanent and 150 contracting staff respectively. Factor analyses indicated that the career success orientation questionnaire measured two dimensions labeled as ‘work focus’ and ‘self focus’, and the flow questionnaire measured ‘enjoyment’ and ‘control of consciousness’. Contracting and permanent employees were compared with regard to the four dimensions and it was found that contract workers experienced their work more optimally than the permanent workers did, because they obtained higher scores on the ‘control of consciousness scale’.

Opsomming
Die primêre doel van die ondersoek was om die verwantskap tussen tipes indiensneming (permanent en kontraktering) te ondersoek vir twee veranderlikes: vloei en beroepsuksesoriëntasie in ’n inligtingstegnologieomgewing. Die ondersoek is uitgevoer in ’n onderafdeling van ’n groot telekommunikasiemaatskappy wat fokus op programmatuurontwikkeling en -implementering. Twee vraelyste wat vloei en beroepsuksesoriëntasie meet, is toegepas op 150 permanente werknemers en 150 kontrakteurs. Faktorontledings het aangedui dat die beroepsuksesoriënteringsvraelys twee dimensies gemeet het, naamlik ‘werkfokus’ en ‘selffokus’. Die vloei-vraelys het ‘werksgenot’ en ‘bewustsheidbeheer’ gemeet. Kontrakteurs en permanente werknemers is met mekaar vergelyk in terme van die vier dimensies en die uitslae van die bewustheids beheerskaal het aangedui dat kontrakteurs hul werk meer optimaal ervaar in teenstelling met permanente werkers.