Social Support as Technostress Inhibitor

Due to ongoing digitalization and the social distancing measures that came along with the COVID-19 pandemic, the working conditions and environments have changed for many individuals. Because of increased telework, the use of digital technologies for communicating and collaborating at work has been intensified, which can cause technostress. With longitudinal data from two surveys – one before and one during the COVID-19 pandemic – the paper analyzes the relationship between four social support dimensions (supervisor support, co-worker support, sense of community at work, and family support) and technostress creators. The study shows that social support can be an effective inhibitor of technostress creators. However, social support dimensions have to be differentiated in that regard. Further, the results show that the inhibiting effect of family support has become even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results contribute to technostress research and research with regard to the new normal of working after the pandemic

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

Issues regarding IT Consumerization: How Mixed IT Portfolios of Private and Business IT Components Cause Unreliability

With increasing mobile work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the usage and relevance of consumer IT for business purposes have substantially increased. In this light, an understudied area of IT consumerization, the adverse outcomes for employees using consumer IT for business purposes, is of major importance. We conduct a mixed-methods study to investigate the adverse outcomes of IT consumerization. We build on prior studies and end-user interviews to draw connections between IT consumerization and unreliability as one known technostressor. A quantitative survey of 162 full-time employees shows that IT consumerization is associated with increased unreliability. The users’ general computer self-efficacy, instead, decreases unreliability, and unreliability leads to various job-related and health-related outcomes. We show that unreliability is driven by users’ experience while trying to integrate private and business IT components for business purposes. We follow up on this observation through a qualitative analysis of open-ended survey questions to detail users’ experiences. Our findings emphasize the need to examine the negative outcomes of IT consumerization, despite its well-studied positive effects. We suggest that organizations should strive to integrate business and private IT as much as IT security constraints allow for reduced technostress

How to Design More Empathetic Recommender Systems in Social Media

Social media’s value proposition heavily relies on recommender systems suggesting products to buy, events to attend, or people to connect with. These systems currently prioritize user engagement and social media providers’ profit generation over individual users’ well-being. However, making these systems more “empathetic” would benefit social media providers and content creators as users would use social media more often, longer, and increasingly recommend it to other users. By way of a design science research approach, including twelve interviews with system designers, social media experts, psychologists, and users, we develop user-centric design knowledge on making recommender systems in social media more “empathetic.” This design knowledge comprises a conceptual framework, four meta-requirements, and six design principles. It contributes to the research streams “digital responsibility” and “IS for resilience” and provides practical guidance in developing socially responsible recommender systems as next-generation social media services

Issues regarding IT Consumerization: How Mixed IT Portfolios of Private and Business IT Components Cause Unreliability

With increasing mobile work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the usage and relevance of consumer IT for business purposes have substantially increased. In this light, an understudied area of IT consumerization, the adverse outcomes for employees using consumer IT for business purposes, is of major importance. We conduct a mixed-methods study to investigate the adverse outcomes of IT consumerization. We build on prior studies and end-user interviews to draw connections between IT consumerization and unreliability as one known technostressor. A quantitative survey of 162 full-time employees shows that IT consumerization is associated with increased unreliability. The users’ general computer self-efficacy, instead, decreases unreliability, and unreliability leads to various job-related and health-related outcomes. We show that unreliability is driven by users’ experience while trying to integrate private and business IT components for business purposes. We follow up on this observation through a qualitative analysis of open-ended survey questions to detail users’ experiences. Our findings emphasize the need to examine the negative outcomes of IT consumerization, despite its well-studied positive effects. We suggest that organizations should strive to integrate business and private IT as much as IT security constraints allow for reduced technostress

Considering Characteristic Profiles of Technologies at the Digital Workplace: The Influence on Technostress

Workplaces develop more and more to digital workplaces. However, this may lead to technostress. An understanding of the profiles of technologies used at the digital workplace, their interplay, and how they influence technostress is valuable as it can assist developers of technologies and designers of workplaces to prevent technostress. Therefore, we analyze literature and conduct expert interviews to identify ten characteristics of digital technologies that relate to technostress. By analyzing data from 4,560 employees, we evaluate the characteristics. Furthermore, we develop characteristic profiles of multiple technologies used at the respondent\u27s digital workplace. Lastly, we investigate their influence on technostress creators using structural equation modeling. We find that the different portfolios of technology profiles influence technostress creators in different manners. Our contributions are identifying additional characteristics of digital technologies, showing the importance of investigating workplaces as a whole, and highlighting design opportunities for health-oriented workplaces that alleviate technostress

Digitaler Stress in Deutschland: Eine Befragung von Erwerbstätigen zu Belastung und Beanspruchung durch Arbeit mit digitalen Technologien

Die voranschreitende Digitalisierung verändert das Belastungs- und Beanspruchungs-profil am Arbeitsplatz. Technostress ist ein Phänomen und Problem über alle Regionen, Branchen, Tätigkeitsarten und individuellen demographischen Faktoren hinweg. Übermäßiger Technostress reduziert die Leistung von Arbeitnehmern, wirkt sich negativ auf ihre Psyche und ihr Leben aus und verschlechtert ihre Gesundheit. Die vorliegende Studie präsentiert eine umfassende Bestandsaufnahme