How to raise technology acceptance: User experience characteristics as technology-inherent determinants

Mlekus L, Bentler D, Paruzel A, Kato-Beiderwieden A-L, Maier GW. How to raise technology acceptance: User experience characteristics as technology-inherent determinants. Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Organisationspsychologie (GIO). 2020;51(3):273-283.This paper in the journal Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO) presents a study that investigated user experience characteristics as determinants of technology acceptance. Organizations planning to implement new technologies are confronted with the challenge to ensure user acceptance. Barely accepted technologies are used less often, result in lower job satisfaction, and ultimately lead to performance losses. The technology acceptance model (Venkatesh and Bala 2008) incorporates determinants of information technology use. The model’s predictors have a strong focus on interindividual user characteristics (such as computer self-efficacy) and the job context (e.g., voluntariness). Yet, what is lacking in the model, are characteristics of the technology itself that can be used as starting points to design better technologies. To bridge this gap, we introduce the User Experience Technology Acceptance Model, and provide a first test of this model. In our online survey (N = 281), we investigated how technological determinants, more specifically user experience characteristics, affected technology acceptance. Except for two paths of our proposed model, all path coefficients were significant with small to large effect sizes (f² = 0.02 – 0.66). User experience predictors resulted in 60.6% of explained variance in perceived ease of use, 38.2% of explained variance in perceived usefulness, and 25.8% of explained variance in behavioral intention. Our results provide mostly support for our extension of the technology acceptance model. The technology-inherent characteristics output quality, perspicuity, dependability, and novelty were significant predictors of technology acceptance. We discuss theoretical and practical implications with the focus on technology designers, change managers, and users.Dieser Beitrag in der Zeitschrift Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO) stellt eine Studie vor, in der User Experience-Merkmale als Einflussfaktoren auf Technologieakzeptanz untersucht wurden. Bei der Einführung neuer Technologien sehen sich Unternehmen vor der Herausforderung, dass Benutzer diese akzeptieren. Wenig akzeptierte Technologien werden seltener eingesetzt, stehen in Verbindung mit einer geringeren Arbeitszufriedenheit und wirken sich schlecht auf die Leistung aus. Das Technology Acceptance Model (Venkatesh und Bala 2008) umfasst Faktoren, die die Nutzung von Informationstechnologien vorhersagen. Diese beinhalten vornehmlich interindividuelle Benutzermerkmale (z. B. Computer-Selbstwirksamkeit) und den beruflichen Kontext (z. B. Freiwilligkeit). Was jedoch im Modell fehlt, sind Merkmale der Technologie selbst, die als Ausgangspunkt für das Design besserer Technologien dienen können. Um diese Lücke zu schließen, präsentieren und testen wir das User Experience Technology Acceptance Model. In unserer Online-Umfrage (N = 281) haben wir untersucht, wie technologische Faktoren, insbesondere User Experience-Merkmale, die Technologieakzeptanz beeinflussen. Mit Ausnahme von zwei Pfaden waren alle Pfadkoeffizienten unseres Modells bei kleinen bis großen Effektstärken (f² = 0,02 - 0,66) signifikant. Die User Experience-Prädiktoren klärten 60,6% der Varianz der wahrgenommenen Einfachheit der Nutzung, 38,2% der Varianz der wahrgenommenen Nützlichkeit und 25,8% der Varianz der Nutzungsabsicht auf. Unsere Ergebnisse unterstützen größtenteils die Erweiterung des Technology Acceptance Models. Die technologiebezogenen Merkmale Output-Qualität, Durchschaubarkeit, Zuverlässigkeit und Neuartigkeit waren signifikante Prädiktoren für die Technologieakzeptanz. Wir diskutieren theoretische und praktische Implikationen mit dem Fokus auf Technologiegestaltern, Change-Managern und Anwendern

Development of a change management instrument for the implementation of technologies

Mlekus L, Paruzel A, Bentler D, et al. Development of a change management instrument for the implementation of technologies. Technologies. 2018;6(4): 120.The manufacturing industry is increasingly being dominated by information and communication technology, leading to the development of cyber-physical systems. Most existing frameworks on the assessment of such technological advancements see the technology as a solitary system. However, research has shown that other environmental factors like organizational processes or human factors are also affected. Drawing on the sociotechnical systems approach, future technologies could be evaluated using scenarios of digitized work. These scenarios can help classify new technologies and uncover their advantages and constraints in order to provide guidance for the digital development of organizations. We developed an instrument for evaluating scenarios of digitized work on the relevant dimensions ‘technology’, ‘human’ and ‘organization’ and conducted a quantitative study applying this instrument on three different scenarios (N = 24 subject matter experts). Results show that our instrument is capable of measuring technological, human and organizational aspects of technology implementations and detecting differences in the scenarios under investigation. The instrument’s practical value is significant as it enables the user to compare and quantify scenarios and helps companies to decide which technology they should implement

The psychological science accelerator’s COVID-19 rapid-response dataset

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with varying completion rates. Participants completed the survey from 111 geopolitical regions in 44 unique languages/dialects. The anonymized dataset described here is provided in both raw and processed formats to facilitate re-use and further analyses. The dataset offers secondary analytic opportunities to explore coping, framing, and self-determination across a diverse, global sample obtained at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be merged with other time-sampled or geographic data

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

The Psychological Science Accelerator’s COVID-19 rapid-response dataset

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with varying completion rates. Participants completed the survey from 111 geopolitical regions in 44 unique languages/dialects. The anonymized dataset described here is provided in both raw and processed formats to facilitate re-use and further analyses. The dataset offers secondary analytic opportunities to explore coping, framing, and self-determination across a diverse, global sample obtained at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be merged with other time-sampled or geographic data

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e. a controlling message) compared to no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly-internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared to the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly-internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing: Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

Why corporate social responsibility affects the employee - Sustainability at work: Expanding CSR

Paruzel A. Why corporate social responsibility affects the employee - Sustainability at work: Expanding CSR. Presented at the 8th EAWOP Early Career Summer School, Cyprus

Wahrnehmung von Corporate Social Responsibility durch Beschäftigte und innovatives Verhalten: Eine Metaanalyse

Paruzel A. Wahrnehmung von Corporate Social Responsibility durch Beschäftigte und innovatives Verhalten: Eine Metaanalyse. Presented at the 13. Fachgruppentagung der AOW- und Ingenieurspsychologie, Kassel.Fragestellung Mithilfe von Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) können Unternehmen zu den 17 Zielen für nachhaltige Entwicklung (SDG) der UN beitragen. Bisherige Forschung zeigt, dass Beschäftigte CSR positiv wahrnehmen und CSR positive Auswirkungen auf Beschäftigte haben kann. Wir untersuchen, ob wahrgenommene CSR mit kreativem und innovativem Verhalten von Beschäftigten zusammenhängt. Untersuchungsdesign Unter Einschluss von 26 Primärstudien wurde eine Metaanalyse (Hunter und Schmidt-Methode) durchgeführt. Die aggregierte Stichprobengröße betrug N = 7,970. Eingeschlossen wurden Studien, die Zusammenhänge von CSR (interne und externe Maßnahmen) und kreativem oder innovativem Verhalten von Beschäftigten berichten. Ergebnisse Es zeigte sich ein großer Zusammenhang von CSR und kreativem/innovativem Verhalten (ρ = 0.45). Die Effektstärke war für interne CSR-Maßnahmen größer als für externe CSR Maßnahmen. Weitere untersuchte und bedeutsame Moderatoren waren der Human Development Index sowie die Größe des Unternehmens. Limitationen Aufgrund fehlender Daten konnten einige potentiell wichtige Moderatoren wie Alter und Beschäftigungsdauer in der Organisation nicht analysiert werden. Theoretische/Praktische Implikationen Bisher wurde in Bezug auf unterschiedliche Outcomes die Relevanz interner und externer CSR-Maßnahmen auf Basis uneinheitlicher Ergebnisse diskutiert. In Bezug auf innovatives Verhalten scheint internes CSR förderlicher zu sein als externes CSR. Praktische Implikationen sind für die Nachhaltigkeitsabteilungen in Unternehmen und das Personalmanagement relevant. Relevanz/Beitrag CSR hat für Innovationen in Organisationen ein großes Potential. Innovation ist entscheidend für das Überleben einer Organisation und kann gesellschaftliche Transformation vorantreiben. Innovatives Verhalten kann als proaktive Anpassung an eine sich verändernde Arbeitswelt verstanden werden und einen über CSR-Maßnahmen hinaus gehenden Beitrag zu Nachhaltigkeit in Organisationen leisten