IT, productivity and organizational practices: large sample, establishment-level evidence

  • Authors:
  • Brian P. Cozzarin;Jennifer C. Percival

  • Affiliations:
  • Department of Management Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada N2L 3G1;Faculty of Business and Information Technology, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Canada L1H 7L7

  • Venue:
  • Information Technology and Management
  • Year:
  • 2010

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Abstract

Our paper uses a large longitudinal survey of establishments to address two questions: Has IT implementation significantly contributed to workplace performance? Do IT implementations have a positive or negative effect on high performance human resource/workplace practices, compensation practices and training? We put forth four main hypotheses and four auxiliary hypotheses. Three of our four main hypotheses were not rejected: that higher use of IT will increase productivity, that higher use of compensation practices will increase productivity, and that increased training will increase productivity. The hypothesis that increased use of workplace practices will increase productivity was neither rejected nor accepted. There was partial support for the hypothesis that increased investment in IT will increase productivity. The remaining three auxiliary hypotheses were rejected: that the interaction between IT and compensation practices should be positive, that the interaction between IT and workplace practices should be positive, that the interaction between IT and training should be positive. The latter findings are puzzling and point to the need for further research into the effects of computer use and generally accepted practices which should increase productivity.