The power of myth in the IT workplace

The central purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that managers of several IT companies, during the dot-com bubble, used the myths that were readily available in the wider American culture of the time to motivate and manipulate their employees. These managers motivated their employees to put in long hours at the worksite, to be continually on-call, to intensify their work pace, and to self police their co-programming teams. The methods used were qualitative social research including interviews, observations, self-reported organizational charts and time diaries. This is a single case study conducted during a specific period of time. The implications discussed in this paper may provide insight to the managers of IT personnel who seek to motivate their employees to greater efficiency. This paper adds to a discussion on the role of myth in managing IT personnel.