Using IT Mindfulness to Mitigate the Negative Consequences of Technostress

Research in the IS field has been focusing on investigating the adverse effects of ICT usage such as technostress. Nevertheless, few studies have investigated mechanisms for the alleviation of this phenomenon. This study contributes to the technostress literature by adopting a mindfulness perspective that has not been investigated before. In this paper, we aim to explore the role of IT mindfulness as a buffer to technostress stressors as well as a mechanism that can mitigate the negative consequences arising from extended ICT usage within organizational settings. By following a survey based approach and exploring a sample of 440 working individuals, our SEM analysis revealed that IT mindfulness constitutes a potential further mechanism that can effectively reduce technostress conditions, enhance user satisfaction while utilizing ICT’s for work tasks and improve task performance. Further research is proposed into expanding the proposed model, exploring the influence of IT mindfulness on additional organizational outcomes. Keywords IT Mindfulness, Technostress, stressors, ICT, organization

Technostress Management at the Workplace: A Systematic Literature Review

Technostress is a major problem for employees and organizations, as it impairs employee health and weakens organizational performance. Therefore, it is relevant to effectively manage technostress and reveal ways for mitigating the adverse consequences. Seeing that previous studies on technostress management have provided a foundation for review work, we conduct a systematic literature review and integrate the scholarly findings of 22 research articles of different disciplines on technostress management strategies at the workplace. Our work provides an overview of technostress management strategies highlighting that technostress management strategies address the user, the technological, organizational, or the social environment. Moreover, we shed light on discipline-specific investigations of technostress management and derive five distinct avenues for future research. Our work thereby guides researchers to fill the identified research gaps and extend the understanding of ways for mitigating technostress

The Interaction Effect of Technostress and Non-Technological Stress on Employees’ Performance

At a fast pace, firms are introducing new technologies in accordance with employees suffering. Employees continuously adapt to new information technologies, functionalities, and work flows, as well as spend more time and effort to renew their technological skills. Here, suffering refers to technostress, and this has been studied extensively in IS research. Employees struggle with work stress, and it does not just stem from the use of IT. Work stress also comes from other non-technological demands such as time pressure and management expectations for productivity. In line with Job Demand-Resources (JD-R) theory, this study explores the interaction effect of technostress and non-technological stress on employee performance

Mental Health and Information Technology Catalysts as Determinants of Innovative Work Behavior

Interpersonal interactions, such as impromptu face-to-face workplace conversations, facilitate knowledge transfer and spur innovation within individual work roles; however, the move to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted these dynamics. This research examines how innovation can be maintained in remote work settings by considering Information Technology (IT) catalysts (a combination of IT mindfulness, IT identity, and IT empowerment) during disruptive events and crises. We also highlight the importance of remote workers’ mental health and coping as precursors for IT catalysts to stimulate innovative work behaviors. Our paper contributes to information systems (IS) theory by establishing remote workers’ mental health and coping as distal factors of innovation and precursors to IT catalysts. In addition, we extend IS theory by establishing the relationships among the IT catalyst factors as well as their impact on innovative work behaviors. Our research provides insights for organizations interested in sustaining innovation, especially during crises or other stress-inducing events or conditions

Understanding the Effect of Social Media Overload on Academic Performance: A Stressor-Strain-Outcome Perspective

Social media has deeply penetrated into university students’ daily lives, inducing excessive usage that can result in social media overload. However, only few studies have explored the adverse consequences of social media use from a pedagogical perspective. This paper aims to investigate the effects of overload on students’ academic performance and the underlying mechanism. Based on the stressor-strain-outcome model, we propose that information, communication, and social overloads influence technostress and exhaustion of students, which in turn impair their academic performance. Results from a study of 249 Chinese social media users in universities reveal that all three types of overload enhance technostress, but only information overload significantly affect exhaustion. Both technostress and exhaustion have negative effects on academic performance. This study enriches social media literature by identifying a more comprehensive classification of social media-related overload among university students and investigating the exact mechanism of excessive social media use in educational environment

Individual information systems : design, use, and a negative outcome in the business and private domain

Digitalization increasingly changes individuals business and private lives. Today, individuals build and use ever more complex individual information systems (IIS) composed of privately-owned and business-owned components. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this development since individuals were forced to work from home due to the social distancing measures associated with the pandemic. The ongoing digitalization comes with great opportunities for individuals, such as higher mobility and flexibility, as well as for organizations, such as lower costs and increased productivity. However, the increased use of IIS at the workplace also bears risks for individuals. Such risks include technostress, which refers to stress that is caused by digital technologies. Technostress, in turn, can lead to health-related issues, reduced productivity, and higher turnover intentions. Thus, to leverage the positive opportunities of digitalization while reducing its associated risk of technostress, a better understanding of IIS, their use, and its effect on technostress, and of individual resources that may affect this relationship is needed. The aim of this dissertation is threefold: First, to contribute to a better understanding of layers of IIS and their different components. Second, since a negative outcome of IIS use can be technostress, this dissertation seeks to advance knowledge on technostress creators and how they can be influenced by IIS use and by various IIS characteristics. Third, this dissertation aims to reveal which resources of individuals may help mitigate technostress. This dissertation uses quantitative methods, such as online surveys and structural equation modeling, and qualitative methods, such as literature analyses and semi-structured interviews. Thereby, the methodological focus lies on quantitative data collection and analysis, while some papers use a mixed-methods approach as a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. Chapter 2 of this dissertation aims at providing a better understanding of IIS by investigating its various components. Therefore, Chapter 2.1 conceptualizes four layers of IIS: devices, digital identities, relationships, and information. It also considers that IIS have two more or less integrated subsystems: the business information systems with business-owned components and the private information systems with privately-owned components. An empirical validation supports this conceptualization as well as the definition of integration between the two sub-systems on each of the four layers. Chapter 2.2 studies IT consumerization, which refers to the use of private IIS components in the business domain and applies a risk-benefit consideration. The results imply that benefits of consumerization of IT services, such as better functionalities of a private IT service outweigh risks, such as the threat of sanctions for the use of private IT services. Chapter 3 focuses on technostress as a negative outcome of the increased IIS use. Chapter 3.1 analyzes how IT consumerization is related to the technostress creator unreliability of digital technologies. The results reveal a positive relationship between IT consumerization and unreliability and show that unreliability is perceived higher when the IT portfolio integration and the individuals computer self-efficacy are low. Chapter 3.2 proceeds with studying characteristics of digital technologies and how these are related to technostress. It presents ten characteristics that are associated with at least one technostress creator. Chapter 3.3 extends the concept of technostress and introduces a framework of twelve different technostress creators, reveals four second-order factors underlying the twelve technostress creators, and brings them into relation with work- and health-related effects. Chapter 4 also deals with technostress and investigates resources to mitigate technostress. Chapter 4.1 focuses on organizational measures and finds different relationships of the investigated measures with different technostress creators. While some of the technostress creators can be inhibited by the implementation of organizational measures, others are found to be even intensified by the organizational measures. Chapter 4.2 focuses on social mechanisms that function as technostress inhibitors. Findings differ between technostress creators and the investigated social support dimensions. Furthermore, the results highlight the fact that some of the social support dimensions gain even greater importance in light of increasing telework. In summary, this dissertation provides new insights into IIS and their use, the emergence of technostress in digitalized workplaces, and organizational as well as social mechanisms that help mitigate technostress. Hence, this dissertation supports current efforts in both research and practice to reduce technostress while leveraging the positive opportunities of workplace digitalization.Die Digitalisierung verändert unser berufliches und privates Leben zunehmend und hat dazu geführt, dass Individuen heute immer komplexere individuelle Informationssysteme (IIS) nutzen. Die COVID-19-Pandemie hat diese Entwicklung noch beschleunigt, da Beschäftigte durch Social-Distancing-Maßnahmen gezwungen waren, von zu Hause aus zu arbeiten. Die fortschreitende Digitalisierung der Arbeitswelt bringt sowohl für Individuen als auch für Organisationen große Chancen mit sich, wie höhere Mobilität und Flexibilität sowie geringere Kosten und eine gesteigerte Produktivität. Allerdings birgt die verstärkte Nutzung von IIS am Arbeitsplatz auch Risiken. Dazu gehört Technostress, also Stress, der durch digitale Technologien verursacht wird. Technostress wiederum kann zu gesundheitlichen Problemen, verringerter Produktivität sowie einer höheren Fluktuationsrate führen. Um die Chancen der Digitalisierung nutzen und gleichzeitig die Risiken des Technostresses reduzieren zu können, ist ein besseres Verständnis über IIS, deren Nutzung und deren Auswirkung auf Technostress erforderlich sowie darüber, welche individuellen Ressourcen diesen Zusammenhang beeinflussen. Die vorliegende Dissertation verfolgt drei Ziele: Erstens soll zu einem besseren Verständnis über IIS und deren Komponenten beigetragen werden. Zweitens soll das Wissen über Auslöser von Technostress erweitert werden sowie darüber, wie Technostress durch die Nutzung von IIS und durch verschiedene IIS-Charakteristika beeinflusst werden kann. Drittens strebt die Dissertation an, aufzuzeigen, welche Ressourcen helfen, Technostress zu verringern. Zu diesem Zweck werden quantitative Methoden (z.B. Online-Befragungen und Strukturgleichungsmodellierung) und qualitative Methoden (Literaturanalysen und semi-strukturierte Interviews) eingesetzt. Der methodische Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf der quantitativen Datenerhebung und -analyse, wobei teilweise ein Mixed-Methods-Ansatz als Kombination quantitativer und qualitativer Methoden verwendet wird. Kapitel 2 zielt auf ein besseres Verständnis über IIS und deren verschiedene Komponenten ab. Dafür werden in Kapitel 2.1 vier Ebenen eines IIS konzeptualisiert: Devices, Digital Identities, Beziehungen und Informationen. Zudem berücksichtigt die Konzeptualisierung, dass ein IIS aus zwei mehr oder weniger integrierten Subsystemen besteht: dem beruflichen und dem privaten Informationssystem. Eine empirische Validierung unterstützt die Konzeptualisierung sowie die Definition der Integration zwischen den Subsystemen auf jeder der vier Ebenen. Kapitel 2.2 analysiert IT-Consumerization also die Nutzung privater IIS-Komponenten im beruflichen Kontext. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der relative Nutzen, wie z.B. bessere Funktionalitäten des privaten IT-Services, die wahrgenommenen Risiken, wie z.B. die Androhung von Sanktionen für die Nutzung privater IT-Services, überwiegt. Kapitel 3 beschäftigt sich mit Technostress als negativer Folge der verstärkten IIS-Nutzung. In Kapitel 3.1 wird analysiert, wie IT-Consumerization mit dem Belastungsfaktor Unzuverlässigkeit digitaler Technologien zusammenhängt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen einen positiven Zusammenhang, der noch stärker wahrgenommen wird, wenn die IT-Portfolio-Integration und die Computer-Selbstwirksamkeit des Individuums niedrig sind. Kapitel 3.2 untersucht Charakteristika digitaler Technologien und deren Zusammenhang mit Technostress. Es werden zehn Charakteristika gesammelt, die mit mindestens einem digitalen Belastungsfaktor zusammenhängen. Kapitel 3.3 erweitert das Technostress-Konzept und präsentiert zwölf digitale Belastungsfaktoren. Zudem werden vier Faktoren aufgedeckt, die den zwölf Belastungsfaktoren zugrunde liegen, und mit arbeits- und gesundheitsbezogenen Folgen in Zusammenhang gebracht. Kapitel 4 untersucht Ressourcen, die helfen können, Technostress zu mindern. Kapitel 4.1 untersucht organisatorische Maßnahmen und findet unterschiedliche Zusammenhänge der untersuchten Maßnahmen mit verschiedenen digitalen Belastungsfaktoren. Während einige der Belastungsfaktoren durch die organisatorischen Maßnahmen gehemmt werden, werden andere sogar verstärkt. Kapitel 4.2 untersucht soziale Mechanismen, die Technostress verringern können. Die Ergebnisse zeigen unterschiedliche Auswirkungen der untersuchten Dimensionen sozialer Unterstützung auf die digitalen Belastungsfaktoren. Darüber hinaus wird deutlich, dass einige der Dimensionen sozialer Unterstützung angesichts der zunehmenden Arbeit von zuhause eine noch größere Bedeutung erlangen. Zusammenfassend liefert die vorliegende Dissertation neue Erkenntnisse über IIS und deren Nutzung, die Entstehung von Technostress und über organisatorische sowie soziale Mechanismen, die helfen, Technostress zu mindern. Damit leistet die Dissertation einen Beitrag zu den aktuellen Initiativen in Forschung und Praxis, Technostress zu reduzieren und gleichzeitig die Chancen der Digitalisierung der Arbeit zu realisieren

Examining the role of mindfulness in mitigating technostress and its negative consequences

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThe proliferation and ubiquity of information technologies (ICTs) have transformed the working environment of organizations, making imperative the engagement of individuals with various technologies for the accomplishment of their work tasks. Although ICTs have offered significant benefits both to individuals and organizations, those advances have come with some costs. Recently, academic literature has shown an increased interest in the dark side or else the negative aspects of technology usage within the workplace, focusing on the stress that individuals experience due to the extended usage of ICTs called technostress. A considerable amount of literature has been published on the concept of technostress revealing its severe consequences on individuals, leading to huge monetary costs for organizations; however, few studies have investigated mechanisms for the alleviation of this phenomenon thus the need for further research is crucial. Addressing this call of research, the present study contributes to the technostress literature by adopting for the first time a mindfulness perspective. The current study aims to examine the role of mindfulness as an organizational mechanism that can mitigate the impact of technostress on individuals as well as alleviate its negative consequences. By following a mixed methods approach, the current study involved two phases; At first, a theoretical framework was developed, based on the transactional-based model of stress, in order to examine the influence of mindfulness on technostress as well as its impact on job related and IT usage related outcomes. By conducting a survey-based approach and exploring a sample of 500 working individuals, the developed model was validated through SEM analysis revealing that mindfulness constitutes a powerful mechanism that can effectively reduce technostress, increase job satisfaction while also enhance user satisfaction while utilizing ICTs for work tasks and improve task performance. During the second phase of the study, the thematic analysis of the collected data, derived from semi-structured interviews, validated the results of the quantitative analysis confirming the role of mindfulness in reducing technostress conditions; while also yielded deeper insights revealing a set of strategies that more mindful individuals deploy during technostress experiences. Overall, the current study enhances existing literature in the IS domain by revealing the valuable role of mindfulness in protecting individuals against the negative impact of stressful events occurring due to ICT usage while also providing substantial practical implications; By introducing mindfulness programs for their employees, corporate and HR managers can significantly improve employees’ work life, increase individual productivity and enhance overall wellbeing at work thus ultimately improving the business performance and overall success of the organization

ICT, Permeability Between the Spheres of Life and Psychological Distress Among Lawyers

The pervasiveness of information and communications technologies (ICT) has changed the nature of work in recent decades. Positive and negative impacts of ICT have been identified in every profession, including among lawyers. This paper examines the impact of ICT on the working conditions, stress and psychological distress experienced by lawyers, based on a qualitative study. Twenty-two (22) interviews were conducted with the aim of gaining a deep understanding of this issue. A thematic content analysis of the interviews revealed that factors related to ICT appear to contribute to the overall stress (technostress and other stress) experienced by lawyers, in turn leading to psychological distress. Moreover, the growing permeability between the different spheres of life caused by ICT and their particular characteristics has increased the workload of lawyers and accelerated their pace of work. Participants also identified frequent technological problems, as well as clients’ misinformation on the Internet, as risk factors