Knowledge Worker Constraints in Productive Use of Information Technology

Abstract

The impact of Information Technology on managing enterprises continues unabated. Realizing the potential of IT has become a critical concern as the investments mount exponentially. The prosperity of organizations requires that IT resources are used productively by people.This study tests for constraints in the productive use of Information Technology by knowledge workers in organizations. The QRS® NUD*IST™ analysis package is used to analyze one hundred and twenty-five knowledge workers' written assessments. The non-directive assessments identified infrastructure, technical, information, and task categories of issues. The sub-categories of these issues lead to the identification of the structure of constraints.Information Technology can be better utilized to address users needs. The analyses reveal that infrastructure issues are critical. Organizations are not providing support necessary to utilize IT effectively. Technical issues are also important. The expected advantages of IT, such as speed and reliability, do not match knowledge workers expectations. Instead, they are perceived as constraints. The gap between expected and realized IT capabilities is much larger than expected. This leads to difficulties in alienation, anxiety, overload, and lower productivity. Knowledge workers offered their own solutions to resolving the principal, and sub-categories of constraints. Their views provide the basis for addressing practical problems and future research directions in improving knowledge worker productivity using Information Technology.