Investigating Users’ IT Adaptation Behaviors: A Case of a Computerized Work System

Abstract

IS research has shown that successful IT implementation projects rely on the extent to which IT users respond and adapt to the new technology and the changes the new technology comes with. Although the phenomenon of user IT adaptation has been studied previously in IS literature our understating of user IT adaptation is still limited. Drawing on the Coping Model of User Adaptation (CMUA) and the Approach vs. Avoidance model of coping, this study seeks to investigate how different user adaptation efforts evolve over time and subsequently influence IT use outcomes. Using a qualitative case study approach, 68 interviews were conducted at a medical center in Iran after the implementation of a Work System Computerization project. Our results indicate that emotions have a great influence on IT users’ adaptation efforts. Also, users’ IT appraisal might not necessarily happen in sequence as suggested by existing literature. Finally, our findings highlight the theoretical importance of preserving the distinction between approach- and avoidance-oriented emotion-focused adaptation efforts in exploring how emotion-focused efforts may influence system usage.