End-user expectation incongruencies and integrated information systems: Effects on satisfaction and trust

This study initially addresses conceptual and measurement inconsistencies in prior Management Information Systems (MIS) research related to the study of end-user expectation incongruencies arising from the implementation of an information system, as well as the impact of the expectation incongruencies on end-user satisfaction. Working from the revised conceptual bases, this study then investigates the impact of end-user expectation incongruencies on both end-user satisfaction and end-user trust in the context of a packaged Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation.; A field survey was pilot tested, refined, and then distributed to the end-users of a new enrollment services module at the admissions departments of two main campuses of a large midwestern university five months after implementation. End-user expectation incongruencies and satisfaction regarding the characteristics of the enrollment services module were found to be the primary measured drivers of overall end-user satisfaction. Conversely, end-user expectation incongruencies and satisfaction with the support provided during the implementation were the primary measured drivers of post-implementation end-user trust toward the central project team. The central project team for this implementation was responsible for training and support both prior to, and during, the implementation.; The results of this study have important theoretical and practical implications. Contributions to the MIS field include improvements in the conceptualization, operationalization, and measurement of both end-user expectation incongruencies and end-user satisfaction related to the implementation of an integrated information system. From a practical perspective, end-user expectation incongruencies arising from the implementation of an integrated information system were found to impact both post-implementation end-user satisfaction and post-implementation end-user trust. Pre-implementation communication and training are suggested as prescriptive measures to reduce end-user expectation incongruencies and subsequently increase end-user satisfaction. Similarly, pre-implementation clarification of the roles and resources of the central project team may reduce end-user expectation incongruencies and subsequently increase post-implementation end-user trust.