ACC309, Lecture 3 - Management Information Systems Theories
ACC309, Lecture 3 - Management Information Systems Theories
ACC309, Lecture 3 - Management Information Systems Theories
History
Early research in MIS focused on problems faced by professionals in the field of information
management, and were borrowed from other fields, such as management and computer science.
In several studies, cognitive fit theory has provided an explanation for performance differences
among users across different presentation formats such as tables, graphs, and schematic faces. The
theory has also been extended into the geographic information systems domain, where it has been
used to explain performance differences among users of map and table-based geographic
information systems on adjacency, proximity, and containment tasks (Dennis and Carte,1998;
Smelcer and Carmel, 1997).
Diagram/Schematic of Cognitive Fit Theory
Source: Shaft, Teresa M. and Iris Vessey, (2006) "The Role of Cognitive Fit in the Relationship between
Software Comprehension and Modification", MIS Quarterly, Volume 30, Issue 1, pp. 29-55.
It is instructive to note that today's managers need effective decision support tools to sort
through huge amounts of data in a timely fashion to make critical decisions on products and
process quality.
The Task-Technology Fit Model was developed by (Goodhue & Thompson, 1995) to explain the
utilization of technology by examining the fit of technology to users' tasks/requirements. The
purpose of the theory was to add to the body of knowledge on technology utilization in the private
and public contexts, which had limited explanation as to how the acceptance of technology
contributes to individuals’ performance. TTF was the first theory that aimed to explore the post-
adoption aspect of technology utilization, unlike other prior research, which had mainly focused on
the antecedents of use and intention (Goodhue & Thompson, 1995).
Task-technology fit seeks to explain the interdependence between an individual (a technology user),
technology (data, hardware, software tools and the services they provide) and task (activity carried
out by individuals to produce the required output) characteristics.
With these theories, it is possible to explore and explain technostress as a workplace issue in
knowledge work. Technostress refers to the challenges of adopting and coping with new digital
technologies and affects knowledge workers’ well-being at work.
This task-technology fit theory along with the transactional theory of stress are often used by
researchers to investigate the effects of the implementation of new digital technologies and their
maintenance in workplaces and ways to minimize technostress.
Source: file:///C:/Users/USER/Downloads/10.1201_9781003128830-4_chapterpdf.pdf
Applicability to workplace studies
The introduction of new digital technologies has offered possibilities for finding new ways of
working, new products, and services. Digital technologies allow knowledge workers to work flexibly
and remotely thanks to practices such as telework, commuter hubs, and virtual teams, by combining
distance work and management across time and geography. While a well-designed and -managed
flexible and remote workplace can have a positive influence on employee wellbeing, as seen in the
following studies (Arnold et al., 2016 ; Dickson-Swift, Fox, Marshall, Welch, & Willis, 2014 ;
Hoeven & Zoonen, 2015 ), the ability to implement new work practices is not always
straightforward. When not managed appropriately, flexible and remote workplaces can be a source
of work-related stress and harm individuals, organizations, and the economy as a whole through, for
example, productivity losses, presenteeism, and absence (Arnold et al., 2016 ; Cooper et al., 2001;
Ipsen, Karanika-Murray, & Nardelli, 2020). Furthermore, the lack of exploration of the TTF may
contribute to wasted resources on underutilized technology (Dishaw, 1999).
On the one hand, the TTF theory aims to support organizations in investigating the factors affecting
the effective adoption of technology they are planning to implement in their organization. Workplace
management researchers have also employed the theory to investigate how to implement, manage,
and maintain technology with positive results in terms of organizational performance and individual
well-being (e.g., Cameron & Webster, 2005 ; Chen, Zhao, Zhang, Wang, & Guo, 2015 ; Hung,
Duyen, Kong, & Chua, 2008 ).
TTF models have been criticized for a lack of focus on the individuals’ psychological and situational
factors, such as the role of top management, trust (between team members and team leaders) and the
responsibilities of team members (Agarwal, Sambamurthy & Stair, 2000). Individual differences can
have an underlying impact on the final outcome of technology utilization (Staples, Hulland &
Higgins, 1999). For example, following the argument that TTF-TAM needed to measure self-
efficacy, Strong et al. (2006) tested the effect of the construct by integrating it with the model.
Although the significance of computer self-efficacy was confirmed, the updated model did not find
wide implications.
References
Sources: Vessey, Iris (1991). Cognitive Fit: A Theory-Based Analysis of the Graphs Versus Tables
Literature. Decision Sciences 22,(2), 219-240.
TASK-TECHNOLOGY FIT THEORY: An approach for mitigating technostress. Available on
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352509292_TASK-
TECHNOLOGY_FIT_THEORY_An_approach_for_mitigating_technostress