A quantitative study of dynamic performance contract fulfillment and resistance to enterprise system use

Organizations expend significant resources to implement enterprise software systems that streamline processes employed throughout the enterprise. Often times, these implementations require users to adopt changes in existing methods and procedures. Employees who resist the mandated use of systems cause grave impacts that ripple throughout an organization resulting in inefficiency and financial loss. While many studies on software use are based on theoretical models like the technology acceptance model (TAM), psychological contract theory (PCT) is more suitable for explaining resistance to the use of enterprise systems (ES). This study also incorporates constructs in the user resistance behaviors development model (URBDM), which is based on PCT. Perceived manager ES resistance (PMESR) is proposed as a measure of the organizational climate surrounding system changes. Climates unconducive to change can result in the display of resistant behaviors by employees required to use an ES. The purpose of this quantitative research study was to explore the relationship between PMESR and employee ES resistance (EESR) as well as the potential mediating effect of dynamic performance contract fulfillment (DCPF) on that relationship. Findings indicated that PMESR is a significant predictor of EESR. Furthermore, DCPF does not fully mediate the relationship between PMESR and EESR, yet it is likely to provide complementary mediation in conjunction with other mediating factors related to social influence. The implication of this study is that organizational leaders responsible for the successful implementations of ES now have empirical support for the crucial need to have managers and change agents refrain from displays of affective and behavioral ES resistance.