Investigation of employers' performance expectations for new IT graduates in individual and team work settings for software development

Abstract

Purpose - In general, software development work environments involve many different tasks and have high demands on efficiency and quality of performance at both individual and team levels, which depend on the competencies of employees. However, the literature does not provide satisfactory evidence as for the characteristics and competencies of individuals. Especially, the employers' expectations of new graduates have not been investigated in detail for different work environments. The purpose of this paper is to examine employers' expectancies regarding technical, personal and educational competencies among IT-graduated employees to provide a comparison between individual and team work settings. Design/methodology/approach - A survey approach was used for this purpose, and the research model was tested using multiple regression. Findings - The results revealed that significant diversity exists in individual and team work settings regarding employers' expectations for new graduates' competencies in terms of adapting to new software development methods and approaches, using time effectively and experience gained in undergraduate projects. Originality/value - The results of this study will yield insight to computer-related departments in curriculum development by providing a comparison between the varying competencies required in individual and team work settings from the employer's perspective. In the long run, the aim is to meet employers' demands of the new graduates' competencies, resulting in better individual and team performances in information technology companies, thereby leading to successful software development.