How do successful coping change appraisal and user responses?

Technostress research asserts that the use of information systems (IS) can be challenging or hindering. Previous literature has mostly focused on the challenge or hindrance subprocesses. However, research suggests that these subprocesses may interact with each other. Positive user responses can be derived from events that were originally perceived as hindering. The present research-in-progress paper focuses on this interaction. We investigate whether successful coping – the elimination of a stressful IS use situation – leads to positive user responses in the hindering subprocess. Therefore, we develop an online experiment, which emulates different IS use situations. A hindrance techno-stressor situation (HTS), a control situation without a techno-stressor (non-HTS), and one in which users can successfully cope with the hindrance techno-stressor (SC). The experiment allows us to analyze the interactions between the subprocesses. We expect to contribute to the literature on technostress and IS coping by focusing on the interaction between the two subprocesse

IT-Related Time Poverty: Identifying Antecedents and Consequences of a Lack of Time Related to IT Use

Time poverty is the subjective perception of inadequate freely disposable time, which results in negative consequences for individuals. Although information systems (IS) research knows that information technology (IT) use change time perception, research is incomplete in explaining IT-related antecedents and consequences of time poverty. Because time is a scarce resource, individuals, organizations, and society have a responsibility to manage time to protect individuals from adverse consequences. We conduct a structured literature review to identify indications of how IT use influences time poverty and its adverse consequences. We identified 16 papers, which we analyzed with respect to different components of IT use and possible consequences of time poverty. Based on the data, we develop an overview of the antecedents and consequences of IT-related time poverty and a research agenda. We contribute to the research by introducing IT-related time poverty as a new IS construct and providing an in-depth research agenda

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

“I NEED HELP – NOW!”: THE ROLE OF TECHNICAL SUPPORT IN THE PROCESS OF IS USE COPING

IS research has identified technical support as an important organizational measure that increases user satisfaction and may reduce technostress. Yet, the effectiveness of such offers is dependent on whether and how users utilize them. Research has shown that there are manifold different coping sequences that users take after discrepant IT events. However, insights on the intersection between technical support and the user’s own coping sequences are missing so far. To address this gap, we conduct a qualitative interview study with 31 users of technical support in a German service organization. We develop a process model that explains the coping sequences taken by users after experiencing a discrepant IT event and identify factors that influence how and why they contact technical support. Thus, we provide insights on the effective utilization of technical support and derive measures on how to best support employees in their coping efforts

Coping with IT-Related Demands: A Behavioral Change Experiment Through Online Training

Information systems (IS) used in the workplace give various demands. Behaviors contributing to successfully coping with the demands of IS can support healthier IS use. Inducing behavior change in IS use is challenging due to the influence of habits. We aim to understand how users\u27 coping behavior changes through adaptive coping training for IT-related demands and how to design this online training. We developed an online training based on behavior change theories and IS research. Our study uses mixed methods, combining qualitative and quantitative data collection through questionnaires in an experimental design. We will conduct a multigroup analysis for quantitative evaluation. Further, we use inductively open coding and clustering by axial coding for qualitative data analysis. Our research will provide insights into the feasibility of behavior change through online training and for practitioners to design practical online training

Gamifying Digital Work: An Empirical Investigation how Gamification Affects IS Use Appraisal

Information systems (IS) and their healthy use are becoming increasingly important in the digital work environment. The cognitive appraisal of an IS-enabled demand is decisive for whether IS use leads to positive or negative outcomes. This work investigates how gamification integrated into IS can support challenge appraisal and reduce threat appraisal of IS-enabled demands. We conduct an online experiment to examine the impact of gamification on appraisal. We simulate time urgency in a gamified IS and examine how challenge and threat appraisal develop among participants during the experiment. We examine the panel data with a Latent Growth Model and find that gamified IS does not initially reduce threat appraisal but reduces it over time. Challenge appraisal is not significantly higher among users working in gamified IS. That this hypothesiszed effect does not show in the data might require further research. Our paper contributes to a better understanding of the cognitive appraisal process in IS use research and identifies gamification as a valuable tool to positively influence the cognitive appraisal process

The Dynamics of IT Use: Uncovering the Interplay between the Perception of IT Events, Emotions, and Cognitive Absorption over Time

Emotions triggered by IT events have a decisive influence on IT use. Previous literature has focused on one point in time studies investigating the relationship between emotions and IT use. However, the process of perceiving an IT event, leading to emotions and changes in IT use proceeds dynamically over time. This research in progress paper concentrates on this process. We investigate how the change in perception of an IT event affects emotions and IT use over time. Therefore, we develop an online experiment simulating time pressure as an example of an IT event. During the experiment, data is collected at four different points in time. The data will be analyzed with a multivariate longitudinal latent growth model. We aim to enhance the current literature by capturing the dynamic changes in perceiving IT events, emotional responses, and subsequent changes in IT use over time

Preferred Gamification Elements in a Health Behavior Change Support System for Stress Management

Stress is a serious hazard to individuals. Health behavior change support systems (HBCSSs) may support individuals to modify their behaviors toward a healthy lifestyle. Previous studies have shown that HBCSSs for stress management can improve individual coping behavior but their success depends on the users’ adoption and long-term use. Gamification elements (GEs) can contribute to continuous use by motivating their users, enabling sustained healthy stress coping behavior. With a mixed-methods approach, we identified suitable GEs through six interviews with users of a mobile coping assistant prototype. Based on those insights, we designed GE mockups and surveyed 204 participants using the best-worst-scaling method to examine the users’ preferences. The results demonstrate that users mostly prefer feedback elements, such as scoreboards and progress bars in HBCSSs for stress management. Social interaction GEs score worst. Our interviews indicate that this could be due to privacy reasons

Managing the Inner Workings of Collective Intelligence Approaches for Wicked Problems – An Assessment Model and Evaluation

Ill-defined and complex problems that affect multiple stakeholders with potentially conflicting perspectives are often referred to as wicked problems. The utilization of collective intelligence (CI) via web-based platforms is a promising approach for addressing such wicked problems. The management of these information systems would benefit from evidence-based decision support regarding facilitation and improvement efforts. However, to date, there is no suitable model to guide such efforts. Existing approaches address specific applications or cover certain assessment areas but do not provide a holistic perspective. Meanwhile, research offers substantial insights into best practices for addressing wicked problems and running CI applications. This paper develops an assessment model comprising five central success dimensions for information systems that address wicked problems. Their subdimensions and associated measurement metrics allow for evidence-driven facilitation and improvement of CI applications for wicked problems. Apart from the model’s capability to improve future runs and processes, it also offers the potential to provide immediate insights for facilitation efforts during runtime. The model was validated with a platform dealing with the assessment of risks presented by global climate change. This evaluation generated strong evidence for the model’s applicability and usefulness