Opening the black box of system usage: user adaptation to disruptive IT

Abstract

According to Benbasat and Barki (2007), systems usage has remained a black box in spite of the fact that the construct lies at the heart of a host of studies in the field. We know very little about how exactly users cope with information technology (IT), especially disruptive IT. To answer such questions, we grounded our current work in Beaudry and Pinsonneault's Coping Model of User Adaptation (2005; CMUA), a model that explains user strategies appraising an IT event. These strategies are a response to threats and opportunities embedded in the IT event and are impacted by the level of control users have over the situation. In the current study, following CMUA, we develop and test measures for a deeper understanding of systems usage and user adaptation to IT through a 2 × 2 laboratory experiment. Overall, we found strong support for the CMUA model.

Keywords:

• coping model of user adaptation
• systems usage
• disruptive information technologies
• threats
• opportunities
• control

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christophe M Elie-Dit-Cosaque

About the authors

Christophe M. Elie-Dit-Cosaque is an Assistant Professor of Information Systems at Université Paris-Dauphine. He obtained his dual Ph.D. in Management and Computer Information Systems from Université Paris – Dauphine and Georgia State University. His research interests include user adaptation to and adoption of IT, IT innovation, and the effects of IT on managerial work. His research papers have been published in the Journal of Management Information Systems, or presented in refereed conferences such as the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), the Academy of Management Annual Meeting (AOM), and the Conference of the Association Information & Management (AIM). He served as a member of the organization committee for the International Conference on Information Systems in 2008.

Detmar W Straub

Detmar W. Straub, the J. Mack Robinson Distinguished Professor of Information Systems at Georgia State University, has conducted research in the areas of computer security, Net-enhanced organizations (e-Commerce), technological innovation, international IT studies, and IS research methods. He holds a DBA (Doctor of Business Administration) in MIS from Indiana and a Ph.D. in English from Penn State. Detmar has over 160 publications in journals such as Journal of MIS, MIS Quarterly, Management Science, Information Systems Research, Journal of AIS, Decision Sciences Journal, Organization Science, and European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS). Detmar is currently Editor-in-Chief of MIS Quarterly and has served on the boards of a host of other journals. Former VP of Publications for the Association of Information Systems (AIS), he has held roles as co-program chair for AMCIS and ICIS and was inducted as an AIS fellow in 2005.