Enhanced use of IT: A new perspective on post-adoption

Abstract

A major problem confronting organizations is that they make large investments in information technologies (IT) that, in many cases, underperform following adoption because their features are underutilized. In information systems (IS) research, there is a need to develop a better understanding of the process by which individuals make new use of IT features. Using a grounded theory approach, we develop such an understanding by closely examining how individuals change their IT use following initial adoption. Based on analyzing interview data and expanding on extant literature to refine our results, we propose a construct called "enhanced use", which refers to novel ways of employing IT features. We conceptualize enhanced use as having distinct forms (using a formerly unused set of available features, using an IT for additional tasks, and/or using extensions of IT features and attributes). Our analysis reveals that these forms may differ in terms of their attributes (locus of innovation, extent of extensive use, and adaptation). Our study uncovers patterns of use that reveal the roles played by task characteristics, knowledge, and the IT type in shaping enhanced use. Thus, this study heeds repeated calls to theorize about use by proposing a novel and rich conceptualization of post-adoption use.