Employee behavioral intention and technology use: Mediating processes and individual difference moderators

Abstract

EMPLOYEE BEHAVIORAL INTENTION AND TECHNOLOGY USE: MEDIATING PROCESSES AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE MODERATORS Robert Conrad Brusso Old Dominion University, 2015 Director: Dr. Richard N. Landers Considering the substantial amount of time and organizational resources that are involved in the development and implementation of end-user technology (e.g., communication software platforms, social networking sites) within organizations, it is imperative to understand the factors that best predict use of end-user software. Although technology acceptance models, grounded in broader theories of behavior, do exist, these models fall-short in determining the most proximal antecedents of actual behavior. Currently, the majority of the research in the information technology arena posits behavioral intention as the most proximal antecedent of technology use. Behavioral intention does explain variance in use, but this relationship has been the subject of discussions and research calling for 1) an investigation of potential moderators based on meta-analytic results, 2) the consideration of theoretically meaningfully mediators that may explain the relationship between behavioral intention and behavior, and 3) stronger experimental designs that do not rely on self-reported technology use. To this end, a model was developed that posited that the relationship between behavioral intention and behavior is mediated by implementation plans. Further, it was also hypothesized that the behavioral intention to implementation plans relationship, as well as the implementation plans to behavior relationship, is moderated by computer self-efficacy. To test the hypotheses, approximately 406 participants from a large international organization responded to survey questions intended to assess their behavioral intentions, implementation plans, and computer self-efficacy. Further, participant usage of the technology in question (Microsoft Lync) was assessed by querying their actual use following a one month post-survey lag. The results demonstrated partial support for the complete hypothesized model, with implementation plans mediating the behavioral intentions – behavior relationship. The moderating effect of computer self-efficacy was not supported. Practical implications, directions for future, and limitations are discussed.