INVOLVING INFORMATION-SYSTEM USERS IN DEFINING SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS - THE INFLUENCE OF PROCEDURAL JUSTICE PERCEPTIONS ON USER ATTITUDES AND PERFORMANCE

This study incorporates the theoretical framework of procedural justic e into the information system (IS) user participation research paradig m. In a field setting, 726 subjects representing 59 local newspaper si tes took part in a fully randomized, longitudinal experiment. Four inc reasing levels of participation concerning specifying system requireme nts were manipulated: mute, voice, choice, and voice plus choice. As t he participation level increased, procedural justice judgments increas ed correspondingly. Perceptions of control over the development proces s, satisfaction with the outcome, and objective measures of performanc e increased from the mute to voice conditions, were unchanged from the voice to choice conditions, and increased again as participation was manipulated at the highest level-voice plus choice. The rich contextua l field setting in which this experiment was conducted, combined with strong attitudinal and performance results, encourage researchers to i ntegrate the psychology of procedural justice into the study of IS use r participation.