The Effects of Information System User Expectations on Their Performance and Perceptions.

Author List: Szajna, Bernadette; Scamell, Richard W.;
MIS Quarterly, 1993, Volume 17, Issue 4, Page 493-516.
The consequences of information system failure become more acute as organizations continue to invest in information technology and application development. Being able to better predict IS failure before implementation of a system could facilitate changes in the information system that can lead to implementation success. The realism of user expectations has been suggested as one possible means of assessing the eventual success or failure of an IS. Cognitive dissonance theory was used to hypothesize the behavior and attitudes of end users having certain expectations of a system. This experiment investigates the association between unrealistic expectations with both users' perceptions (i.e.. user satisfaction) and their performance with the IS (i. e., decision performance). A longitudinal experiment was performed in which the expectations of the subjects were manipulated to be unrealistically high, realistically moderate, or unrealistically low. The results suggest an association between realism of users' expectations and their perceptions but not their actual performance. Future research should be directed toward the development of an instrument to measure user expectations, as well as toward understanding the causes of unrealistic user expectations.
Keywords: cognitive dissonance theory; implementation expectations; Information systems development; realism of user expectations
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#253 0.245 user involvement development users satisfaction systems relationship specific results successful process attitude participative implementation effective application authors suggested user's contingency
#9 0.164 using subjects results study experiment did conducted task time used experienced use preference experimental presented decision-making empirical significantly effects better
#136 0.140 expectations expectation music disconfirmation sales analysis vector experiences modeling response polynomial surface discuss panel new nonlinear period understand paper dissonance
#140 0.123 model use theory technology intention information attitude acceptance behavioral behavior intentions research understanding systems continuance models planned percent attitudes predict
#286 0.090 success model failure information impact variables failures delone suggested dimensions mclean reasons variable finally categories years recommendations benefits studies identify
#170 0.084 information processing needs based lead make exchange situation examined ownership analytical improved situations changes informational examine developed receive perceptions facilitates