Motivational Affordances: Fundamental Reasons for ICT Design and Use

Abstract

Organizations hoping to improve employee productivity, increase strategic advantages, and gain or hold the competitive edge have invested heavily in information and communication technology (ICT). Similarly, ICT development firms and other stakeholders have struggled to attract potential consumers, increase consumer loyalty, and stimulate continued ICT use. Yet despite such heavy investment and keen interest, our understanding of what contributes to ICT acceptance and use is still limited. The limits are largely owing to the theoretical perspectives researchers have chosen to study the phenomenon. One important but under-utilized theoretical perspective is motivation of human behavior. Motivation studies attempt to answer two basic questions: what causes behavior, and why does behavior vary in its intensity. A motivation theory explains the processes that give behavior its energy and direction. Energy implies that behavior has strength (strong, intense, or persistent).