Perceptual Congruence between IS Users and Professionals on IS Service Quality – Insights from Response Surface Analysis

Despite the importance of matching different viewpoints on IS service quality in organizations, there is still little understanding about how perceptual congruence between IS professionals and users affects user satisfaction. Drawing on cognitive dissonance theory and perceptual congruence research, our study examines 169 matched-pair survey responses using polynomial regression and response surface analysis. We demonstrate that perceptual congruence on IS service quality between IS professionals and users can have a nonlinear relationship with user satisfaction. We find that greater perceptual congruence is associated with higher user satisfaction and that user satisfaction increases when congruent perceptions of both IS professionals and users are high compared to when they are low. Moreover, the rate in the decrease of user satisfaction away from perfect congruence is dependent on the direction of incongruence, highlighting the importance of developing awareness of congruent perceptions to increase user satisfaction. Implications for research and practice are discussed

PERCEIVED IT SECURITY RISKS IN CLOUD ADOPTION: THE ROLE OF PERCEPTUAL INCONGRUENCE BETWEEN USERS AND PROVIDERS

Despite the widely recognized prevalence of IT security risk concerns in users´ Cloud adoption, little is understood about how Cloud providers assess IT security risks and in what ways potential disagreements among providers and potential users on the IT security risks of Cloud services affect users´ adoption intentions. Drawing on perceptual congrunce research and risk perception theory, our study examines matched survey responses of providers and potential users of their Cloud services. Our findings show a consistent pattern of perceptual differences across all relevant IT security risk dimensions of Cloud Computing. We also show that this disagreement between the providers of Cloud services and their potential users has strong adverse effects on important downstream user beliefs and, ultimately, on users´ intentions to adopt the services. We discuss implications for research and practice

To understand or to be understood? A dyadic analysis of perceptual congruence and interdependence between CEOs and CIOs

Despite the importance of a healthy relationship between CEOs and CIOs in organizations for effective business-IT alignment, there is still little understanding about how different facets of perceptual congruence compare between CEOs and CIOs and how perceptual interdependencies affect the quality of collaboration in these relationships. Drawing on social and personal relationship theories, our study examines 102 matched-pair survey responses of CEOs and CIOs using dyadic data analysis. Our findings show that both executives’ actual opinions on important business and IT topics are more similar than both perceive them to be. Accordingly, perceptions of each other’s attitudes are negatively biased away from their real attitudes. Moreover, our study demonstrates that CIOs’ understanding of their CEO plays a pivotal role in predicting the quality of CEO-CIO collaboration, shedding light on the disparate importance of the two directions of interpersonal understanding for the business-IT partnership. Implications for research and practice are discussed

ACCOUNTABILITY INCONGRUENCE AND ITS EFFECTS ON AI DEVELOPERS’ JOB SATISFACTION

Developers of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based systems are increasingly urged to assume accountability for their development decisions, referring to the degree to which they must justify underlying algorithms and their outcomes on demand. Thereby, AI developers often have to juxtapose how much accountability they self-attribute to them and how much accountability they perceive others attribute to them, creating intrapersonal perceptual accountability (in)congruence with unknown consequences for their job satisfaction. Building on perceptual congruence research and algorithmic accountability literature, we conducted an online survey of 87 AI developers about their experiences in AI-based systems development projects. Our results show that the lower the incongruence between self-attributed and others-attributed accountability, the higher the job satisfaction of AI developers. Moreover, we find that AI developers’ role ambiguity mediates this effect. Our study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of AI developers’ perceived accountability, with essential insights for defining job roles and understanding AI developers

The Impact of Influence Tactics in Information System Development Projects: A Control-Loss Perspective

Information systems development (ISD) projects are prone to high levels of failure. One of the major reasons attributed to these failures is the inability to harmonize values held by a diverse set of participants in an environment that is characterized by uncertainty due to changing requirements. In this paper, we focus on a relational approach to achieve congruence between a project manager and a team member with respect to influence tactics. Constructs of perceptual congruence and communication congruence that reflect a level of agreement and degree of shared understanding between the project manager and team members are described. A congruence model is constructed and tied to an intermediate outcome variable of control loss. One hundred and thirteen dyadic pairs of project managers and team members are surveyed in order to test the model. The results indicate that having strong relational equity and common understanding can minimize control loss. It is important to consider the perspectives of both the project manager and a team member while formulating and assessing monitoring strategies to promote the success of an ISD project. Especially, encouraging team members to discuss disagreements constructively can motivate them to perform better and keep things under control. Finally, it is critical to address the performance problems as they occur rather than wait until the completion of the project

The Impact of Influence Tactics in Information System Development Projects: A Control-Loss Perspective

Information systems development (ISD) projects are prone to high levels of failure. One of the major reasons attributed to these failures is the inability to harmonize values held by a diverse set of participants in an environment that is characterized by uncertainty due to changing requirements. In this paper, we focus on a relational approach to achieve congruence between a project manager and a team member with respect to influence tactics. Constructs of perceptual congruence and communication congruence that reflect a level of agreement and degree of shared understanding between the project manager and team members are described. A congruence model is constructed and tied to an intermediate outcome variable of control loss. One hundred and thirteen dyadic pairs of project managers and team members are surveyed in order to test the model. The results indicate that having strong relational equity and common understanding can minimize control loss. It is important to consider the perspectives of both the project manager and a team member while formulating and assessing monitoring strategies to promote the success of an ISD project. Especially, encouraging team members to discuss disagreements constructively can motivate them to perform better and keep things under control. Finally, it is critical to address the performance problems as they occur rather than wait until the completion of the project

Online Labor Platforms and the Role of Job Security and Compensation (Mis)Fits for Gig Workers

Online labor platforms (OLPs) use algorithms to manage their workers. Prior research has examined how OLP management shapes workers’ attitudes, implicitly assuming that workers have the same preferences. However, research has largely neglected the role of (mis)fits between what workers need and what they receive from OLPs. Therefore, we conducted a survey with 121 Mechanical Turk workers and used polynomial regression analysis of workers’ actual needs and perceived OLP supplies. Our results suggest that higher job security fit decreases perceived exploitation and increases system satisfaction, whereas higher compensation fit decreases perceived exploitation. In addition, we find that job security misfit has decreasing marginal effects on perceived exploitation and increasing marginal effects on system satisfaction. Overall, we contribute to a more nuanced understanding of workers’ reactions to the design of OLPs by shedding light on the interplay between what gig workers need and what they perceive to receive from such platforms

Spotless? Perceived Cleanliness in Service Environments

This dissertation presents research on customers’ perceptions of cleanliness in service environments. The research contributes to the gap in the literature on cleanliness examined from a customer perspective, and adds to the understanding of environmental cues that influence perceived cleanliness. Part one of the dissertation includes the operationalisation of the concept of perceived cleanliness and the development of an instrument to measure perceived cleanliness. Results showed that perceived cleanliness consists of three dimensions: cleaned, fresh, and uncluttered. Next, the Cleanliness Perceptions Scale (CP-scale) was developed and validated in different service environments, resulting in a 12 item questionnaire that can be used to measure perceived cleanliness in service environments. Part two includes the experimental research on the effects of different environmental cues on perceived cleanliness. It furthermore explores to what extent the effects of these environmental cues on perceived cleanliness can be explained by the concept of priming. The experiments demonstrated that particular environmental cues influence perceived cleanliness: the visible presence of cleaning staff, light colour, light scent, and uncluttered architecture positively influence customers’ perceptions of cleanliness in service environments. Also, empirical support was found for priming as one of the mechanisms involved in the effects. Part three reflects on the implications of the dissertation for theory and practice. The research provides knowledge that is relevant for the fields of facility management, service marketing, social psychology, and environmental psychology. The dissertation improves the understanding of the concept of perceived cleanliness by enabling scholars and practitioners to measure the concept and the effects of particular environmental cues in service environments

A needs–supplies fit perspective on employee perceptions of HR practices and their relationship with employee outcomes

This study explores the employees’ views on the effectiveness of HR practices for their job performance, drawing from a needs-supplies (N-S) fit approach. Findings based on 465 employees show a positive association between the N-S fit of present HR practices (i.e., employees perceiving supplied practices as needed) and engagement and proactive behaviour. The N-S fit of absent HR practices (i.e., employees indicating they do not need the non-offered practices) is positively associated with engagement and negatively with proactive behaviour. Additionally, proactive behaviour and engagement are higher when employees experience present practices as effective and absent practices as irrelevant for their functioning. Also, these outcomes are higher when employees experience supplied practices as effective while missing essential practices, than when the supplied practices are ineffective and absent practices are irrelevant. Organizations can use this approach to revisit HR practices that waste organizational resources and introduce HR practices that improve employee functioning

Mobile technology-enabled healthcare service delivery systems for community health workers in Kenya: a technology-to-performance chain perspective

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Economic & Business Sciences, November 2016Community Health Workers or “CHWs” are often the only link to healthcare for millions of people in the developing world. They are the first point of contact with the formal care system, and represent the most immediate and cost effective way to save lives and improve healthcare outcomes in low-resource contexts. Mobile-health or ‘mHealth’ technologies may have potential to support CHWs at the point-of-care and enhance their performance. Yet, there is a gap in substantive empirical evidence on whether the use of mHealth tools enhances CHW performance, and how their use contributes to enhanced healthcare service delivery, especially in low-resource communities. This is a problem because a lack of such evidence would pose an obstacle to the effective large-scale implementation of mHealth-enabled CHW projects in low-resource settings. This thesis was motivated to address this problem in the Kenyan community health worker context. First, it compared the performance of CHWs using mHealth tools to those using traditional paper-based systems. Second, it developed and tested a replicable Technology-to-Performance Chain (TPC) model linking a set of CHW task and mHealth tool characteristics, to use and user performance outcomes, through four perspectives of Task-Technology Fit (TTF), namely Matching, Moderation, Mediation, and Covariation. A quasi-experimental post-test only research design was adopted to compare performance of CHWs using an mHealth tool to those using traditional paper-based systems. A primary structured questionnaire survey instrument was used to collect data from CHWs operating in the counties of Siaya, Nandi, and Kilifi, who were using an mHealth tool to perform their tasks (n = 257), and from CHWs operating in the counties of Nairobi and Nakuru using traditional paper-based systems to perform their tasks (n = 353). Results showed that CHWs using mHealth tools outperform their counterparts using paper-based systems, as they were observed to spend much less time completing their monitoring, prevention, and referral reports weekly, and report higher percentages of both timeous and complete monthly cases. In addition, mHealth tool users were found to have more positive perceptions of the effects of the technology on their performance, compared to those using traditional paper-based systems. An explanatory, predictive, research design was adopted to empirically assess the effects of a ‘fit’ between the CHW task and mHealth technology (TTF) on use of the mHealth technology and on CHW user performance. TTF was tested from the Matching, Moderation, Mediation, and Covariation ‘fit’ perspectives using the cross-sectional survey data collected from the mHealth tool users (n = 257). Results revealed that there are various unique ways in which a ‘fit’ between the task and technology can have significant impacts on use and user performance. Specifically, results showed that the paired-match of time criticality task and technology characteristics impacts use, while that of time criticality and information dependency task and technology characteristics impacts user performance. Results also showed that the cross-product interaction of mobility task and interdependence technology characteristics impacts use, and that of mobility task and interdependence and information dependency technology characteristics, impacts user performance. Similarly, the cross-product interaction of information dependency task and time criticality technology characteristics impacts user performance. Moreover, results showed that a perceived ‘fit’ between CHW task and mHealth technology characteristics partially and fully mediates the effects of user needs and tool functions on use and user performance, whereas ‘fit’ as an observed pattern of holistic configuration among these task and technology characteristics impacts use and user performance. It was also found that the perfect ‘fit’ between CHW task and mHealth tool technology characteristics leads to the highest levels of use and user performance, while a misfit leads to a decline in use and user performance. Notably, an over-fit of mHealth technology support to the CHW task leads to declining use levels, while an under-fit leads to diminishing user performance. Of the four ‘fit’ perspectives tested, the matching and cross-product interaction of task and technology characteristics offer the most dynamic insights into use and user performance impacts, whereas user-perception and holistic configuration, were also shown to be significant, thus further reinforcing these effects. Tests of a full TPC model revealed that greater mHealth tool use had a positive effect on the effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of CHW performance in the delivery of patient care. Moreover, it was found that ‘facilitating conditions’ and ‘affect toward use’ had positive effects on mHealth tool use. Furthermore, a perceptual TTF was found to have positive effects on mHealth tool use and CHW performance. Of note, this perceived TTF construct was found to be simultaneously a stronger predictor of mHealth tool use than ‘facilitating conditions’ and ‘affect toward use’, and a stronger predictor of CHW performance than mHealth tool use. Consequently, TTF was confirmed as the central construct of the TPC. The findings constitute significant empirical insights into the use of mHealth tools amongst CHWs in low resource settings and the extent to which mHealth contributes to the enhancement of their overall performance in the capture, storage, transmission, and retrieval, of health data as part of their typical workflows. This study has provided much needed evidence of the importance of a ‘fit’ between CHW task and mHealth technology characteristics for enabling mHealth impacts on CHW performance. The study also shows how these inter-linkages could improve the use of mHealth tools and the performance of CHWs in their delivery of healthcare services in low-resource settings, within the Kenyan context. Findings can inform the design of mHealth tools to render more adequate support functions for the most critical CHW user task needs in a developing world context. This study has contributed to the empowerment of CHWs at the point-of-care using mHealth technology-enabled service delivery in low-resource settings, and contributes to the proper and successful ‘scaling-up’ of implemented mHealth projects in the developing world.MT 201