An Action Research on a French Law Firm: Solutions for a Law Firm With IT Post-Adoption

An Action Research on a French Law Firm: Solutions for a Law Firm With IT Post-Adoption

Min Feng, Driss Bourazzouq
Copyright: © 2021 |Pages: 14
DOI: 10.4018/JTA.20210101.oa5
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Abstract

This study qualitatively analyzes interactional coping strategies used to managed technostress in the post-adoption stage of information technology implementation at a French legal firm. The nine strategies are participatory, collaborative, conflict resolution, bureaucratic coping (adaptation), perceived contribution to exchange, loyalty, affect, professional respect, and mutual trust. A critical perspective was applied to a longitudinal study of the intervention process. First, a problem with task distribution at the individual level affected the efficacy of perceived contribution strategies to exchange and professional enhancement. Second, a lack of creative interaction between group level colleagues undermined strategies of collaboration, mutual aid and assistance, participatory adaptation, and mutual trust. Third, a lack of digitalization commitment at the organizational level negatively affected conflict resolution and bureaucratic adjustment. Finally, an absence of loyalty and affect strategies was evident.
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Introduction

A longitudinal case study was conducted to identify interactional coping solution (ICS) in the post-adoption stage of an information technology implementation at a French legal firm. This intervention research lead by scientific observations and intervention on law firms for seven months, exchange with the stakeholder-participants at least once a week. The purpose, firstly, was to explain the effects of ICS to manage technostress in the post-adoption stages of the implementation. Then, explain the evolution of the nine international coping solution that were summarized in the previous study. The nine strategies identified were (i) participatory, (ii) collaborative, (iii) conflict resolution, (iv) bureaucratic coping (adaptation), (v) perceived contribution to exchange, (vi) loyalty, (vii) affect, (viii) professional respect, and (ix) mutual trust.

Technostress is relevant for both individuals and organizations in the context of new information system (IS) implementations and within the broader context of the omnipresence of different information and communications technology (ICT) systems. Continuity of use is a significant concept in studies involving individual users. Bhattacherjee and Lin (2015, pp. 364–373) define continuity as “long-term or sustained use of an information technology (IT) by individual users.” Further, “IT acceptance and continuance are conceptually and temporally distinct behaviors, in that continuance can occur only after acceptance (first-time use)” (Bhattacherjee & Premkumar, 2004, pp. 229–254).

This first use was determined as the initial adoption of the IS and the study was anchored to continue to adopt ICS after implementation (post-adoption). This line of thought poses two questions:

  • R1: How do interactional coping solutions (ICS) impact technostress in the post-adoption stage?

  • R2: What are the evolutions of interactional coping solutions (ICS)?

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Theoretical Background

This study falls within the field of information systems and strategies management. However, this paper aims to provide a broader base to theoretical foundations and to incorporate analytical tools from marketing. In addition, this study is based on post-adoption. Several studies have been conducted on adoption, which have yielded many discoveries. For example, a study on the Taiwanese NHSS shows that success of an IS/IT and its adoption depends on many characteristics such as “user characteristics, organizational context, and system characteristics” (Hung et al., 2012, pp. 84–108), but also “the factors of user experience, user training, information quality, service quality, and user satisfaction have a strong positive effect on system use” (Hung et al., 2012, pp. 84–108), and that the behavior of the person with the IT also has an impact: “user attitude and facilitating conditions have a significant and negative effect” (Hung et al., 2012, pp. 84–108).

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