Working Paper
Personality trait research with self and observer ratings has been previously applied in
psychology, however, in the HRM field, most studies on personality features have been
limited to self-assessment data.
The authors investigate how personality is associated with the stress
related to the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) which has been
termed by a number of scholars as technostress.
Drawing from both prior research on
personality dimensions and studies on antecedents of technostress, the authors examine the
relationship between technostress creators and technostress antecedents such as personality
traits, differences between self and observer ratings, availability through ICTs and use of
ICTs.
These findings, based on ordered regression analysis, show that pseudo-extraverts and
pseudo-conscientious individuals are likely to experience lower levels of techno-invasion. Moreover, results demonstrate that individuals with high levels of conscientiousness and
extraversion tend to have higher levels of techno-insecurity and techno-overload,
respectively.
Finally, the authors also find that increased availability through ICTs is associated with
high levels of techno-invasion. Interestingly, the use of ICTs has a negative effect on
technostress. The implications of these findings are discussed, and directions for future
research are suggested.
Faculty
Distinguished Clinical Professor of Leadership Development and Organizational Change
