User liaisons’ perspective on behavior and outcome control in IT projects: Role of IT experience, behavior observability, and outcome measurability
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which user liaison behavior and outcome control influence the process performance of information technology (IT) projects and how the IT experience, behavior observability, and outcome measurability of user liaisons affect behavior and outcome control.
Design/methodology/approach
A research model that integrates the IT experience, behavior observability, outcome measurability, behavior and outcome control, and performance from the perspective of user liaisons is developed. Quantitative data are obtained from 63 completed IT projects. Partial least squares technique is used to evaluate the measurement model. Hypotheses are tested through hierarchical regression analysis.
Findings
User liaisons with high IT experience exhibit decreased behavior control but increased outcome control. The outcome control of user liaisons is effective in the process performance of IT projects, whereas their behavior control insignificantly affects performance. However, the behavior observability and outcome measurability of user liaisons strengthen the effectiveness of behavior and outcome control. The behavior and outcome control of user liaisons also vary across different industries and project types.
Originality/value
The results of this study highlight the joint effects of the IT experience, abilities, and control decisions of user liaisons. Although the outcome control of user liaisons is an appropriate control mechanism in IT projects in consideration of the strengths of these liaisons in business knowledge and their control expenditures, the behavior control of user liaisons may also be effective in process performance if these liaisons possess high levels of behavior observability and outcome measurability.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71101060 and No. 71332001) and Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China [20130141120069].
Citation
Liu, S. and Wang, L. (2014), "User liaisons’ perspective on behavior and outcome control in IT projects: Role of IT experience, behavior observability, and outcome measurability", Management Decision, Vol. 52 No. 6, pp. 1148-1173. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-08-2013-0430
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited