U.S. Managers Suffering From ‘Knowledge Gap’

American managers suffer from a “technical knowledge gap,” according to a new survey that looked at how managers use information technology in their work.

“This is a classic knowledge gap, in which important new technology is available but not universally adopted due not so much to financial barriers as to intellectual barriers,” said Nick Tortorello, senior vice president of Roper Starch Worldwide, who helped design the survey.

Most who responded to the survey said their companies were likely to use technologies such as computer networks, on-line computer services and the Internet/ World Wide Web in the future.

But when the managers were asked to explain how their companies were going to use technology “to do their job better or more effectively, that’s when they start having problems,” Tortorello said.

The survey found that 90 percent of managers said technology and teamwork “will be critical to success in the global economy.” However, 70 percent said their teams “are not fully utilizing technology.”

Little more than 20 percent of the managers said they knew “a lot” about networks, on-line services or the Web.