Trial-Period Technostress: A Conceptual Definition and Mixed-Methods Investigation

Abstract

Application abstract: A large number of electronic devices are rejected and returned to the seller in the first weeks of trial use, which costs organizations millions of dollars. We aimed to identify the causes behind those returns and find that stress during the trial period is a major contributing factor. Users are stressed as they need to learn how to use the electronic device, integrate it into their daily life, and take care of privacy issues. All that creates stress and makes users feel unhappy with using the electronic device so that they will send it back to the seller. In particular, we see in our results that individuals who are not innovative in using IT in general and have a low willingness to learn using the new electronic device tend to send back electronic devices in the first weeks of the trial period. When discussing those results with individuals who had sent back tablet devices, we see that stress in the trial period can even overwhelm positive thoughts. So, with our results, we conclude that stress in the trial period has many causes that are often responsible for returning electronic devices.

PJPR Vol. 37 No. 3 (2022)

“…Functioning in technostress conditions may therefore lead to a decrease in job satisfaction, and thus many negative consequences both for the employees themselves (dissatisfaction, decreased engagement, professional burnout) and the organization for which they work for example, fluctuation, counterproductive behavior, low work productivity (Aktan & Toraman, 2022). Therefore, actions reducing perceiving the presence of ICT as stressors should be taken (Maier et al, 2022;Tarafdar et al, 2017). As expected, the presence of technostress inhibitors (literacy facilitation, technical support, involvement facilitation) at work is associated with a higher level of employee satisfaction (Hwang & Cha, 2018;Tarafdar et al, 2017).…”

“…The ongoing digital revolution has introduced new technical and economic paradigms to the functioning of organizations and individuals (Hoehe & Thibaut, 2020). ICT facilitate dissemination of information and knowledge regardless of geographic borders, cultural, and linguistic barriers (Maier et al, 2022). In the business sector, ICT led to the production of new goods and services, enable the emergence of new distribution channels within traditional economic sectors as well as innovative business models, and creation of completely new industries (Bondanini et al, 2020).…”

“…On the one hand, it may be caused by the fear of the necessity to use technologies, but on the other hand it may result from unexpected restriction of access to it such as failure, finishing work (Bondanini et al, 2020). Nowadays some researchers connect technostress with the phenomenon of addiction to new technologies, which can affect not only employees but also ordinary users of new technologies (Maier et al, 2022).…”

Digitalization of cross‐border R&D alliances: Configurational insights and cognitive digitalization biases

“…Firms might have little additional time, resources, or slack to absorb knowledge from their ongoing R&D alliances. Consequently, individuals in the cross-border R&D alliance might experience individual-level technostress using digital technologies (Maier et al, 2022). Perceived technostress might spiral to the group or organizational level, and organizational technostress might soak up knowledge processes and limit the realized absorptive capacity.…”

Role of Technostress in Job Satisfaction and Work Engagement in People Working with Information and Communication Technologies

“…Popularization of the internet and wireless connections resulted in a rapid development of mobile devices for both individual and business use (Bondanini et al, 2020). Technological progress led to the introduction of ICT in various areas of our lives, for example, social relationships, health, science, work (Bondanini et al, 2020;Maier et al, 2022;Ragu-Nathan et al, 2008;Sharma & Gupta, 2022). The ongoing digital revolution has introduced new technical and economic paradigms to the functioning of organizations and individuals (Hoehe & Thibaut, 2020).…”