Where are the participants? Including motivational aspects into theorizing and design in IS Research

Beverungen Daniel, Wittchen Marion, Becker Jörg

Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to identify new research prospects for the information systems discipline, based on establishing a link to the body of knowledge in the fields of work psychology and organizational psychology. Since information systems are work systems consisting of information, technologies, and participants, who are supported by information and communication technology (IT), productivity is a function of human performance. Job demands and individual resources in IT-supported work environments should therefore be considered in order to facilitate employee motivation, prevent strain, and cope with the challenges related to an ageing workforce and a high prevalence of burnout in the IT sector. As an initial literature review shows, these research vistas are underrepresented in previous information systems research. The present paper proposes directions for including job demands and individual resources into the analysis, design and operation of IT-supported work environments from two angles. First, the benefits of including psychological theories in typical phases of a business process management project are discussed. Secondly, the contributions of extending five types of information systems theories for the discipline in general are outlined.