{"title":"Developing digital competencies of controllers: Evidence from the Netherlands","authors":"Bert Steens , Jan Bots , Koen Derks","doi":"10.1016/j.accinf.2023.100667","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Prior research foresees that advancing digital technologies call for increasing competency levels of controllers. Competency theory predicts that achieving this will require increasing knowledge of these technologies and the ability to task-specifically use it. Empirical evidence of the recognition of these necessary conditions is missing. Drawing on competency literature and extant research on influences of nine technologies, we survey 453 senior controllers. We find for all technologies that they perceive their current knowledge and competency levels lower than required and that their expectations of the required competency growth correlate positively with perceived current knowledge at any current competency level, even for task-specific technologies that have the highest current and future competency scores (big data, analytics, visualization). However, their expectations may underestimate the future digital competency levels required for staying relevant. Our evidence urges controllers to work on their digital competencies and put task-specific knowledge first for each new competency.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47170,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Accounting Information Systems","volume":"52 ","pages":"Article 100667"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1000,"publicationDate":"2023-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1467089523000593/pdfft?md5=73c69ee2d0b4c5603ce5bacdd6bdcc87&pid=1-s2.0-S1467089523000593-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Accounting Information Systems","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1467089523000593","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BUSINESS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Prior research foresees that advancing digital technologies call for increasing competency levels of controllers. Competency theory predicts that achieving this will require increasing knowledge of these technologies and the ability to task-specifically use it. Empirical evidence of the recognition of these necessary conditions is missing. Drawing on competency literature and extant research on influences of nine technologies, we survey 453 senior controllers. We find for all technologies that they perceive their current knowledge and competency levels lower than required and that their expectations of the required competency growth correlate positively with perceived current knowledge at any current competency level, even for task-specific technologies that have the highest current and future competency scores (big data, analytics, visualization). However, their expectations may underestimate the future digital competency levels required for staying relevant. Our evidence urges controllers to work on their digital competencies and put task-specific knowledge first for each new competency.
期刊介绍:
The International Journal of Accounting Information Systems will publish thoughtful, well developed articles that examine the rapidly evolving relationship between accounting and information technology. Articles may range from empirical to analytical, from practice-based to the development of new techniques, but must be related to problems facing the integration of accounting and information technology. The journal will address (but will not limit itself to) the following specific issues: control and auditability of information systems; management of information technology; artificial intelligence research in accounting; development issues in accounting and information systems; human factors issues related to information technology; development of theories related to information technology; methodological issues in information technology research; information systems validation; human–computer interaction research in accounting information systems. The journal welcomes and encourages articles from both practitioners and academicians.