An examination of an expectancy theory model of decision support system use

Date

1982-05

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Volume Title

Publisher

Texas Tech University

Abstract

This dissertation developed a conceptual model of user behavior based on expectancy theory, a psychological theory of motivation. A portion of the proposed model was examined in a controlled laboratory study. The major independent variable in the study was predicted motivation, or ''force" to use a decision support system. Amount of DSS use was the dependent variable.

A business simulation "game†and its accompanying interactive support program served as the research contexts Eighty-eight undergraduate business students participated in the study. The procedure required each subject to play the role of a manager in a competitive industry consisting of three firms: the student's firm and two phantom firms. Over a three-week period, the subject was required to make two "practice†decisions and five "real" decisions. Subjects were trained in the use of the DSS which accompanied the simulation, but they were not required to use the system beyond the practice decision period. The subjects received monetary and grade-based rewards which were contingent upon their level of performance in the simulation.

Results of the study suggest some support for the hypothesized model of user behavior. The strength of the force - behavior relationship, as in previous expectancy theory research, was not strong. However, the presence of significant across-subjects correlations between activation to use a DSS and actual use of the system imply that expectancy theory constructs any offer some explanatory power in a comprehensive theory of user behavior. Tests for hypotheses of the influence of the two personality variables, locus of control and cognitive style, on components of the expectancy model yielded no significant findings. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for the expectancy theory literature, for the MIS literature, and for development of behavioral-science based theory within the field of MIS.

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