Emerging leadership cultures in ICT industry

A number of the information and communications technology (ICT) companies have lately faced serious financial problems and loss of customers. Layoffs and even bankcrupts are now typical for ICT industry. Media hype and initial public offering (IPOs) stories made this industry lucrative. Now, after the burst of hype bubble reorientation is needed. Learning to share visions, create effective ebusiness strategies and implement them with speed and quality are now the key priorities. ICT professionals and workers who previously dreamed about prosperous working life can now face unemployment or at least serious redirection in their professional career. Many of the former managers and even superiors have experienced a heavy growing process from” a friendship organization” culture to a more professional and “business-as-usual” type of management culture. An explorative framework for understanding changing leadership cultures in ICT industry is introduced. Findings and examples are based on a three-year field study amongst ICT companies starting from the era of hype late 1990’s and ending to current times of e-business reality.