The effects of positive affect and personal information search on outcomes in call centers: An empirical study

Abstract

Despite the increasing availability of computer-based information sources within organizations, employees continue to rely on other people as important sources of information. However, relatively little is known about the relations among positive affect, personal information search, and related outcomes — especially in organizations. Using data from 276 service representatives in one organization we find that positive affect is positively related to the likelihood of searching for information through personal sources. Moreover, we find that the relations between the likelihood of searching for information via personal sources and work outcomes, such as productivity and job satisfaction, are moderated by positive affect. Specifically, we find that positive affect negatively moderates the relations between personal information search and productivity, but positively moderates the relations between personal information search and job satisfaction. As we will discuss, these findings not only contribute to the IT and organizational behavior literatures but also have significant implications for practitioners.