Dissecting the professional culture: insights from inside the IT "black box"

Global and multinational corporations are increasingly relying upon information systems that are developed and operated across a multicultural environment. Teams often consist of professionals who vary greatly in their cultural dimensions. These professionals follow the guidelines of the systems development life cycle (SDLC). The SDLC phases may differ in the traits necessary for their success. Thus, cultural differences may impact the success of a systems development project. This study develops a model for studying the dimensions most valuable to the SDLC. Empirical analysis then points to both the strong belief in a "professional culture" and yet to the identification of common cultural dimensions important to specific phases of the SDLC across government, university and industry sectors and communities of practice.