Events, emotions, and technology: examining acceptance of workplace technology changes

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to understand the relationship between emotional salience and workplace events related to technology change by using a combination of key features of two popular psychological theories – regulatory focus theory and affective events theory – to view the change process in diverse settings.Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on analysis of 18 months of qualitative interview data (n=52 respondents) collected before, during and after the introduction of three different new technologies in three organizations – a hospital, a manufacturing facility, and a psychological counseling center. The mixed methods approach combined descriptive case studies and a structured coding approach derived from a synthesis of the two theories with which the transition processes at each organization were examined.Findings – Employees with a so‐called promotion‐focused orientation were more likely to accept an IT change and the events related to it. Organizational cultures and t...

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