Working with information and communication technologies (ICT) has long been part of everyday work for most employees. It is in the special interest of companies that the use of ICT runs smoothly, because this is reflected in efficient work processes. The fact that ICTs are being used well can be expressed in two ways: routine use and innovative use of ICTs. Employees who are used to using ICTs implicitly know how to solve tasks with ICT. The routine use of ICT does not require a great deal of effort and enables the tasks to be processed efficiently and effectively. Innovative use means that the existing ICT is used for new tasks, in new areas or in innovative ways in order to carry out a task more efficiently than was previously possible.
The extent to which employees manage to use ICTs routinely or innovatively depends on their own motivation, but is largely determined by the work environment. In a work environment that requires the use of ICTs, it is inevitable that there may also be loads from ICTs, especially when there is a high workload or systems do not work. These Stressors can affect the use of ICTs in two ways: On the one hand, stressors can reduce performance because they have a negative impact on the employee and his or her way of working. The literature refers to these stressors as Hindrance IS Use Stressors, i.e. stressors that hinder the use of information systems (IS), i.e. ICTs. On the other hand, it has also been observed that stressors can have an invigorating effect on employees and the way they work, for example when an approaching deadline motivates us to work even more concentrated and more efficiently. These stressors are called Challenge IS Use Stressors referred to as stressors that positively challenge the use of ICT. But how do these two types of stressors influence routine and innovative use of ICTs?
Studies with 178 participants show that Hindrance IS Use Stressors only have a negative impact on the routine and innovative use of ICTs if they are also assessed as a burden by the employee concerned, i.e. if the employee expects the confrontation with the Hindrance IS use stressors to pose a risk in the form of personal defeat, loss or punishment . For example, if an employee receives more emails after work, he can experience this as a threat to his private life, which threatens to lose recovery time. On the other hand, we also see that Challenge IS Use Stressors only have a positive effect on the routine and innovative use of ICTs if they are also assessed as a positive challenge by the employee concerned, i.e. if the employee is given an opportunity in the form of more personal development, growth, recognition from the confrontation with the Challenge IS Use Stressors or expect a reward. The introduction of a new ICT can be a chance to distinguish yourself if you can use it quickly and help others. The Challenge IS Use Stressors and the evaluation as an opportunity are even for a particularly innovative use of ICTs mandatoryas they are the first to encourage the employee to be innovative.
What does this mean for workers and their ICT use? When dealing with stressors, companies should pay particular attention to the fact that Hindrance IS Use Stressors should be avoided as they have a negative impact on workers and their use of ICT. Nevertheless, there are also “good” stressors that offer employees the opportunity to surpass themselves and encourage routine, but especially innovative, use of ICT. In combating digital stress, it is therefore important not to deprive workers of these opportunities by over-regulating the work environment. As so often in life, it boils down to the same wisdom: Everything in moderation – also the reduction of digital stressors.
Please quote as: Maier, Christian; Rice, lea; Weitzel, Tim (2020). Innovation thanks to stress? How digital stressors affect us in our technology use. 02/15/2020. Available online at: https://scilogs.spektrum.de/gesund-digital-leben/innovation-dank-stress-wie-uns-digitale-stressoren-in-unserer-technologie-endung-beeinflussen/
Further information:
Maier, C., Laumer, S., Tarafdar, M., Mattke, J., Reis, L., and Weitzel, T. (2021)
Challenge and hindrance IS use stressors and appraisals: Explaining contrarian associations in post-acceptance IS use behavior
Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS), forthcoming
You can access this article here:
https://www.uni-bamberg.de/isdl/veroeffentlichungen/preprint-manuskripte/
If you have any questions, you can contact the authors: [email protected]
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