User-IS Conflicts, User-IS Interaction Quality, and Project Performance: An Empirical Study

Conflict has been defined as an important risk factor during information systems development. Its negative effect on project performance has been argued in the IS field. Wang et al. (2005) proposed the mediating variable between conflicts and project performance, instead of identifying means to alleviate the negative effect of conflicts on project performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the magnitude of the impact of conflict on software project and user-IS interaction quality on IS project implementation in a culture more emphasized ”harmony”. The study is conducted through surveying IS professionals in Taiwan. Our results show that conflict has a stronger effect in Taiwan setting, compared to Wang et al. (2005), and interaction quality is a critical mediator between conflict and project performance for IS implementation. Theoretical and managerial implications for conflict management and information systems development are discussed.

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