Research on the Productivity Paradox of Information Technology

Abstract

The rapid development of new-generation information technology, such as the internet, big data, and artificial intelligence, has shifted the focus of theoretical and commercial attention on whether information technology can increase productivity growth. This paper systematically combs the evolution trend of the productivity paradox of information technology from the macro and micro levels. The findings revealed that there are still no unified conclusions at the macro-level, but it is generally believed that there is no productivity paradox at the micro level. There are some differences between developed and non-developed countries as well as across different industries. Based on the complementary mechanism theory, it is found that information technology forms a complementary effect with human capital, technological innovation, organizational change, and management practice, which can provide ideas for solving the productivity paradox of information technology. Finally, the future research direction for the productivity paradox of information technology is determined from the macro and micro levels.