Restoring a Sense of Control During Implementation: How User Involvement Leads to System Acceptance
Baronas, Ann-Marie K., Louis, Meryl Reis
Management Information Systems Quarterly · 1988 · Volume 12 · Issue 1
Abstract
User involvement has long been considered a critical component of effective system implementation. However, the perspective has suffered from mixed results of empirical tests and the lack of a theoretical explanation for the relationship ( Ives and Olson, 1984 ; Baroudi, et al., 1986 ). Our purpose is to present a theoretically- grounded perspective to account for effects of involving users during implementation, and to provide an initial test of this perspective. We propose that: (1) system implementation represents a threat to users’ perceptions of control over their work and a period of transition during which users must cope with differences between old and new work systems; (2) user involvement is effective because it restores or enhances perceived control. Results of a field experiment designed as a preliminary test of this perspective are discussed.
Keywords
H.4, K.4, K.6.1, K.6.2, K.6.M, User involvement, implementation, system acceptance, system development
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