The importance of policy to effective IM use and improved performance
Information Technology & People
ISSN: 0959-3845
Article publication date: 10 June 2019
Issue publication date: 14 January 2020
Abstract
Purpose
Although the use of instant messaging (IM) at work has been studied in the IS field, its effective use and impact on performance have not been adequately addressed. The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents and consequences of the effective use of IM at work by adapting Burton-Jones and Grange’s theory of effective use.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors introduce “Comprehensive IM policy” as a facilitator of adaptation and learning actions to improve the effective use of IM, which will improve communication quality and productivity. The impact of IM competence on effective use is also discussed. Based on a survey of 215 managers, this study applies the partial least square technique to test the research model.
Findings
The results indicate that comprehensive IM policy encourages adaptation and learning actions, which improve the effective use of IM and thereafter improve communication quality and productivity. Meanwhile, IM competence has a substitutive interaction effect with IM reconfiguration and self-learning on effective use.
Originality/value
The results refine the general theory of effective use and provide managers with an approach to leverage IM use at work for performance gains.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant ID: NSFC 71602009, 71872013, 71572013); Beijing Municipal Social Science Foundation(18JDGLB040); Special Fund for Joint Development Program of Beijing Municipal Commission of Education; Beijing Institute of Technology Research Fund Program for Young Scholars; and Beijing Institute of Technology Basic Research Fund Program (Grant ID: 20172142005).
Citation
Jia, L., Huang, L., Yan, Z., Hall, D., Song, J. and Paradice, D. (2020), "The importance of policy to effective IM use and improved performance", Information Technology & People, Vol. 33 No. 1, pp. 180-197. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-09-2018-0409
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited