Trusting information systems in everyday work events - effects on cognitive resources, performance, and well-being

Area of Science:

• Information Systems Research
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Information systems are critical in data-intensive work environments.
• Workers frequently bypass systems, leading to workarounds.
• Trust is hypothesized as a key factor influencing system reliance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of trust in information systems for user reliance.
• To examine how trust influences cognitive resources, performance, and well-being.
• To assess the moderating effects of organizational context and user-related factors on trust-outcome relationships.

Main Methods:

• A preregistered study involving 291 employed information system users.
• Utilized an event reconstruction method to assess past usage experiences.
• Measured event-specific trust, work outcomes, and contextual conditions.

Main Results:

• Confirmed a positive association between trust in information systems and user-reported performance and well-being.
• Technology competence and need for cognition moderated the trust-outcome associations.
• Organizational contextual conditions did not significantly moderate these associations.

Conclusions:

• Trust is a significant driver of successful information system use and positive work outcomes.
• User-related factors like technology competence and need for cognition are crucial for calibrating trust.
• Findings provide actionable insights for organizations to foster greater information system adoption and effectiveness.