Mi. Hwang et Rg. Thorn, The effect of user engagement on system success: A meta-analytical integration of research findings, INF MANAGEM, 35(4), 1999, pp. 229-236
The effect of user involvement on system success is an important topic yet
empirical results have been controversial. Many methodological and theoreti
cal differences among prior studies have been suggested as possible causes
for inconsistent findings. This research is an attempt to resolve inconsist
ent data despite differences that may exist in prior studies. Data from 25
studies were meta-analyzed to test the separate effects of user participati
on and user involvement on six system success variables. Results showed tha
t user participation had a moderate positive correlation with four success
measures: system quality, use, user satisfaction, and organizational impact
. The correlation between user participation and individual impact was mini
mum. User involvement generally had a larger correlation with system succes
s than did user participation. Overall, these findings indicate that both u
ser involvement and user participation are beneficial, but the magnitude of
these benefits much depends on how involvement and its effect are defined.
(C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.