End User Types: An Instrument to Classify Users Based on the User Cube

Abstract

Contemporary end users are more knowledgeable about computing technologies than the end users of the early ’80s. However, many researchers still use the end user classification scheme proposed by Rockart and Flannery (1983) more than two decades ago. This scheme is inadequate to classify contemporary end users since it is based mainly on their knowledge and ignores other crucial dimensions such as control. Cotterman and Kumar (1989) proposed a user cube to classify end users based on the development, operation, and control dimensions of end user computing (EUC). Using this cube, users can be classified into eight distinct groups. In this research, a 10-item instrument is proposed to operationalize the user cube. Such an instrument would help managers to identify the status of EUC in their firms and to take appropriate action. Based on the data collected from 292 end users, the instrument was tested for construct, convergent, and discriminant validities. Researchers can use this instrument to study the interaction between constructs such as development and control with end user computing satisfaction (EUCS).