Personal characteristics as
predictors of job satisfaction
An exploratory study of IT managers in a
developing economy
John O. Okpara
Department of Business Administration, Division of Management, Briarcliffe
College, New York, USA
Keywords Job satisfaction, Managers, Nigeria
Abstract The impact of information technology (IT) on society is tremendous. Globalization of
trade, the emergence of information economies, and the growth of the Internet and other global
communications networks have recast the role of information systems in managing global
corporations. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which personal
characteristics such as gender, age, education, income, and experience predict IT managers’ job
satisfaction in Nigeria. A sample of 360 IT managers selected from business organizations in
Nigeria were used for this research. The results of this study suggest that IT managers were
satisfied with their job, co-workers, and supervision, whereas they were dissatisfied with their pay
and the promotion system. The results of regression analyses also showed that personal
characteristics were significant predictors of job satisfaction.
Introduction
The impact of information technology (IT) on society is tremendous. Globalization of
trade, the emergence of information economies, and the growth of the Internet and
other global communications networks have recast the role of information systems (IS)
in management (Laudon and Laudon, 2000). Today, IS provide the communicative and
analytic power that firms need for conducting trade and managing businesses on a
global scale. To deal with the enormous growth in IT, organizations must compete to
hire and retain the best and brightest professionals. Business success in today’s
competitive global environment depends on IT (Shelly et al., 2001). Businesses have
spent billions of dollars on development and implementation of IS applications. The
development and implementation of these systems is the responsibility of IT managers
and professionals. The welfare of both organizations and the individuals with whom
they interact depends on the conduct of these managers.
While managerial job satisfaction in general is important, the job satisfaction of IT
managers is vital for business success. One of the greatest impediments to the success
of a business often concerns personnel rather than information, technology, or
systems (Okpara, 1996). Considering the high costs associated with replacing IT
professionals, it makes sense for organizations to invest in programs designed to
retain IT professionals (Mark and Sockel, 1999; Moore, 2000). One such retention
program would be to identify the causes of job satisfaction and develop strategies to
enhance it.
Job satisfaction has been one of the most germane issues facing business
organizations in Nigeria (Okpara, 1996). Given the significant relationship observed
The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister www.emeraldinsight.com/0959-3845.htm
Personal
characteristics
327
Information Technology & People
Vol. 17 No. 3, 2004
pp. 327-338
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0959-3845
DOI 10.1108/09593840410554247