Report Title:Direct and Indirect Information System Use: A Multi-Method Exploration of Social Power Antecedents in Healthcare
Reporter(Institution):Tong Yu ( Assistant Professor of Information Systems , City University of Hong Kong)
Time:02:00.pm,18th May, 2016
Location:B-201, Building of Economics & Management, JiulonghuCampus
Abstract:
When an organization introduces an information system (IS), management often expects employees to use it. However, rather than use the system directly, designated users may delegate some parts of their use to other users while assuming the primary responsibility and accountability of the system use tasks. This behavior is called indirect IS use, a behavior thathas been acknowledged in some studies but not adequately scrutinized. We contribute to the literature by distinguishing between direct and indirect use and proposing a model of their respective antecedents. We carried out the research in three steps. First, we conducted a literature review of social power lens and healthcare IS to develop a theoretically grounded research framework. Second, we contextually refined the research framework with a case study of Chinese physicians. Third, we validated the research model through a survey of 213 Chinese physicians. Results revealed that the effects of the social power of others on the direct and indirect IS use of a physician depended on whether the forms of power are harsh or soft in nature. Exercising harsh power, including reward, coercion, and positional legitimacy power of the supervisor, could successfully induce direct IS use but be less effective to change indirect IS use. However, the influence of soft power, informational power of other(s), was insignificant for the direct and indirect IS use of a physician. Moreover, the direct and indirect IS use of a physician were contingent on the social and physiological power possessed by the physician. Further insights were gained by analyzing the relationship between social power and the two forms of IS use based on IS features. Overall, our findings highlight the salience of both direct and indirect IS use in organizations and shed light on how management may leverage social power to meet their IS use objectives.
