Disgruntled yet deft with iT employees who pose information security risk

Abstract

Malicious insiders are employees who intentionally harm organizational information systems and technology. It has been shown that these types of insiders tend to be disgruntled with work, often times as a result of termination. We identify an additional source of disgruntlement that is also associated with computer abuse: dissatisfaction with information technology resources and support, or IT dissatisfaction. Using a sample of 271 working adults, we demonstrate that employees with higher IT dissatisfaction are more likely to engage in computer abuse. Moreover, the relationship is significantly stronger among employees who consider themselves as technologically competent. Our findings are robust across models with and without control variables, and when using a residual measure of IT dissatisfaction derived from negative affect. We conclude that IT dissatisfaction is a promising construct for researchers and companies to explore further in relation to information security outcomes.