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Technostress mitigation: an experimental study of social support during a computer freeze

Author

Listed:
  • Christoph Weinert

    (University of Bamberg)

  • Christian Maier

    (University of Bamberg)

  • Sven Laumer

    (Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg)

  • Tim Weitzel

    (University of Bamberg)

Abstract

In situations when Information Systems (IS) do not work as intended, using IS might hinder their users and let them perceive technostress; this then comes along with reduced user performance and high perceptions of exhaustion, among others. To alleviate these consequences, a mitigating behavior of stressed users is to seek social support to get instrumental (e.g., from the help desk) or emotional (e.g., consolation) backing. Using insights from psychology literature that suggest social support reduces the consequences of stressors, this paper investigates how instrumental and emotional support reduces the consequences of techno-stressors, such as reduced end-user performance, techno-exhaustion, and physiological arousal, caused by techno-unreliability such as a computer freeze. In a laboratory setting, measurements of skin conductance were used to evaluate the technostress of 73 subjects, manipulated by techno-unreliability and then treated with instrumental and emotional support. The findings indicate that social support increased end-user performance as well as reduced techno-exhaustion and physiological arousal. In particular, instrumental support directly influenced end-user performance, techno-exhaustion, and physiological arousal, whereas emotional support only influenced techno-exhaustion. Further, this study provides the first indications that the effect of social support on technostress depends on individual differences.

Suggested Citation

  • Christoph Weinert & Christian Maier & Sven Laumer & Tim Weitzel, 2020. "Technostress mitigation: an experimental study of social support during a computer freeze," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 90(8), pages 1199-1249, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jbecon:v:90:y:2020:i:8:d:10.1007_s11573-020-00986-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11573-020-00986-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. T. S. Ragu-Nathan & Monideepa Tarafdar & Bhanu S. Ragu-Nathan & Qiang Tu, 2008. "The Consequences of Technostress for End Users in Organizations: Conceptual Development and Empirical Validation," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 19(4), pages 417-433, December.
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    6. Barbara L. Marcolin & Deborah R. Compeau & Malcolm C. Munro & Sid L. Huff, 2000. "Assessing User Competence: Conceptualization and Measurement," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 11(1), pages 37-60, March.
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    9. Deborah Compeau & Barbara Marcolin & Helen Kelley & Chris Higgins, 2012. "Research Commentary ---Generalizability of Information Systems Research Using Student Subjects---A Reflection on Our Practices and Recommendations for Future Research," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 23(4), pages 1093-1109, December.
    10. Marc T. P. Adam & Henner Gimpel & Alexander Maedche & René Riedl, 2017. "Design Blueprint for Stress-Sensitive Adaptive Enterprise Systems," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 59(4), pages 277-291, August.
    11. Shirish C. Srivastava & Shalini Chandra & Anuragini Shirish, 2015. "Technostress creators and job outcomes : theorising the moderating influence of personality traits," Post-Print hal-01249895, HAL.
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    Cited by:

    1. Julia Lanzl, 2023. "Social Support as Technostress Inhibitor," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 65(3), pages 329-343, June.
    2. Nicola Döring & Katrien De Moor & Markus Fiedler & Katrin Schoenenberg & Alexander Raake, 2022. "Videoconference Fatigue: A Conceptual Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-20, February.
    3. Aldo Alvarez-Risco & Shyla Del-Aguila-Arcentales & Jaime A. Yáñez & Marc A. Rosen & Christian R. Mejia, 2021. "Influence of Technostress on Academic Performance of University Medicine Students in Peru during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-13, August.
    4. Christian Maier & Sven Laumer & Jason Bennett Thatcher & Jakob Wirth & Tim Weitzel, 2022. "Trial-Period Technostress: A Conceptual Definition and Mixed-Methods Investigation," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 33(2), pages 489-514, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Instrumental and emotional support; Techno-unreliability; End-user performance; Exhaustion; Arousal; Skin conductance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M15 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - IT Management
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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