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Employees may learn new technologies, but do they continue to use them? This question interests organizations, who invest millions of dollars in new programs and applications annually.
Moez Limayem, professor and chair of the department of information systems, collaborating with researchers in Spain and China, developed and tested a model of information-systems behavior and found that habit - rather than intention or conscious decision - plays a more significant role in behavior than previously thought.
"While plausible in the case of the adoption stage, the assumption that usage is determined mainly by intention may not be applicable to continued behavior," Limayem said. "Habit becomes prevalent during the continuance phase, and it influences the relationship between intention and behavior."
The findings are important because other studies have demonstrated that habitual behavior in many information-systems contexts - such as order entry, payroll processing and recording of customer problems or complaints - tends to be highly efficient and less prone to error. That is, if the habits are good ones.
As Limayem emphasized, examples abound of error-prone usage, underutilization and discontinuing expensive information-systems programs or initiatives. These problems may have been avoided if managers understood the role of habit on intention. Knowledge of its role may explain why measures such as rational arguments and persuasion tactics, used to influence user behavior, have not worked.
"If management wants to promote continued information-systems usage behavior, it clearly needs to understand what drives it," Limayem said. "We fervently believe that managers will benefit from understanding the nature of habit and habit formation when faced with situations that call for the promotion of certain behaviors."
The researchers also developed management guidelines related to the findings. The study was published in MIS Quarterly.