An analysis of the information technology (IT) attitudes, and anxieties of leaders at the Phillips Plastics Corporation

by Janisse, James J.

Janisse James J. (Writer) (Last Name) (First Name) (Middle Name) An Analysis of the Information Technology (IT) Attitudes, Cognitions, and Anxieties of Corporate Leaders at the Phillips Plastics Corporation. (Title) Career and Technical Education Dr. Charles Krueger Fall 2000 67 (Graduate Major) (Research Advisor) (Month/Year) (Pgs.) American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual (Style Manual) This study built the case for examining the little-understood relationship between a corporate leader and information technology. It interrogated over one-hundred resources in the fields of business, technology, and psychology for relevant knowledge, empirical data, and current research methods related to the problem. Next, this research developed demographic analysis and integrated methods for measuring attitudes, cognitions, and anxieties of leaders towards information technology into the Corporate Leader-IT Relationship Evaluation Instrument. This instrument was administered to nineteen corporate leaders at the Phillips Plastics Corporation. The data was collected, loaded into SPSS, and resulting reports and demographic cross-tabulations were analyzed. A summary of the study methods, findings, conclusions, and recommendations were delivered to the Phillips Plastics Corporation, thesis committee, and UW Stout graduate college. The results confirmed the little-understood problem of executive technophobia is a legitimate and increasing issue. Recommendations were made for improvement in communication with IT professionals; enhancing IT education and 3 training with proven, adult-learning based principles; development and implementation of IT effectiveness coaching for leaders; and defining the scope, objectives, and approaches for future research. 4