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8/4/2019 Role of Commitment and Motivation In
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Role of Commitment and Motivation in
Knowledge Management Systems Implementation:
Theory, Conceptualization, and Measurement of Antecedents of SuccessMalhotra, Y. and Galletta, D., Role of Commitment and Motivation in Knowledge Management Systems
Implementation: Theory, Conceptualization, and Measurement of Antecedents of Success, Proceedings of 36th
Annual Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences, January 6-9, 2003, IEEE, Pages 1-10.
Yogesh MalhotraSyracuse University School of Management
yogesh(at)syr.edu
Dennis F. Galletta
Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business
galletta(at)katz.pitt.edu
AbstractOur ignorance exceeds our knowledge where issues of motivation and commitment of knowledge workers are
concerned in the context of knowledge management systems implementation as critical to the implementation
success of KMS [1,16,17,18]. This study is motivated by the pervasive confusion about the role of knowledgeworkers' motivation and commitment in KMS implementation and sparse, if any, theoretical or empirical researchon these issues. This paper proposes a theoretical framework for understanding how knowledge workers'
commitment and motivation affect the use of KMS and resulting organizational performance of the KMS. The
theoretical and empirical validation of the framework require first and foremost the theoretical development of the
knowledge workers' commitment and motivation constructs and empirical validation of these constructs in the
context of a real world organizational study of KMS implementation. The authors attempt to fulfill these specific
goals within the scope of this paper. Future empirical research on the integration of motivation and commitment
within diverse implementation contexts of KMS and organizational knowledge management programs is expected tofurther advance the theoretical and empirical development of the proposed framework.
1. Introduction
Diverse interpretations of knowledge management systems (KMS) [1,16,18,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,38] suggestcommon attributes shared by knowledge management systems (KMS). A review of such interpretations indicates
that most KMS: (i) are based upon some combination of information-enabled enabled communication, coordination,
and collaboration capabilities; (ii) provide the critical link between the information and technology resource inputsand organizational performance; and, (iii) are critically dependent upon active participation and involvement of
knowledge workers to transform the inputs into organizational performance. Not surprisingly, despite the
availability of the best technology or access to the richest warehouses of relevant information, knowledge workersmotivation and commitment often determine the success or failure of such knowledge management systems [16,18].
Similarly, knowledge workers motivation and commitment are critical for sharing of tacit and explicit knowledge
[39,42]. Given their importance, it might at first seem surprising that notions of motivation and commitment have
not been refined in the existing literature on KMS. However, these notions have only recently been refined in the
literature of Social Psychology (cf: [7,14,15,20]). What is needed is a richer conceptualization of motivation and
commitment in a knowledge management context for development and empirical validation of these constructs in a
real world organizational study of KMS implementation [17].This paper refines the conceptualization of KMS user commitment and motivation and provides empirical
validation of these constructs in an organizational field study. The context of the study is the organizational adoptionof an enterprise wide KMS to facilitate communication, coordination, and collaboration system for enabling
organizational transformation. Better understanding of these constructs is anticipated to contribute to developmentof organizational knowledge cultures that foster high levels of commitment and motivation of knowledge workers
that are critical for the success of any KMS implementation [1,45].
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2. Background
The role of motivation and commitment of knowledge workers, professionals, and managers is being increasinglyrealized as a critical success factor for implementation of enterprise knowledge management systems. Researchers
(cf: [8]) have observed that unsuccessful KM projects had "struggled to get organization members to contribute torepositories" and "the motivation to create, share, and use knowledge is an intangible critical success factor forvirtually all knowledge management projects."
Industry surveys (cf: [16], [18]) have consistently reinforced the critical importance of user commitment
and motivation in success of KMS implementations, regardless of geographic and industry differences. Ironically,
the same studies also highlight that despite increased interest in the two enablers of KMS, marked confusion exists
in practice and theory about what can be done to alleviate the lack of user motivation and commitment in
organizational settings. A case in point is that of Pillsbury Co. of Minneapolis where a scientist proposed creating a
forum in which everyone could contribute knowledge about all aspects of batter and related products [2]. The IT
department built the system, seeded it with a few
thought-provoking questions, invited participation via e-mail to all relevant parties. After waiting six months, the
scientist found that not a single user had signed on. The application was deemed a failure and shut down. In
retrospective, the organizational diagnosis of the failure of KMS concluded that there was no incentive for anyone toinvest time and energy to solve other peoples problems. Many other KMS implementations have met the same fate
(cf: [4]) of the unfulfilled vision of the 'field of dreams.' Even when formal incentives were deployed, organizational
KMS often failed to yield sharing of knowledge. In some cases, incentives cajole employees into meeting their
monthly or annual quota of 'points' for knowledge shared regardless of the quality or value of the information that
they share. Such horror stories of KMS implementations have increased organizational urgency for building a shared
sense ofcommitmentacross the enterprise [5,44].Why do organizations often struggle with incentives for knowledge sharing for users of KMS when sharing
of knowledge occurs without any incentive whatsoever in several public online communities? Why do million dollar
investments in KMS fail to whet the interest of employees while some of the same employees participate regularly
in external online communities? These and other similar questions challenge the existing wisdom about harnessing
knowledge workers' motivation and commitment in the success of KMS implementations. This study seeks toimprove the theoretical understanding of motivation and commitment and development of related measures of these
constructs to fill this critical void.
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3. Theoretical Bases for the Study
The conceptualization of knowledge workers' commitment and motivation discussed here provides a theoretical
basis for understanding the fine balance between knowledge workers' concerns about fulfillment of their ownpotential and the need to improve organizational performance. Previous research in adoption and use of innovations
and new information systems, and the key issues relevant to adoption of new KM programs and KM systems will bediscussed. Pragmatic implications are then drawn from that work to help develop an organizational culture forfostering commitment and motivation congruent with organizational goals and to develop proper incentive programs
for successful implementation of KMS.
3.1 Theoretical Bases of KMS User CommitmentIndustry surveys indicate that while they drive development of KMS, the executive board and senior management
often fail to motivate the rest of the organization [18] to adopt the systems. Reasons often cited for failing to meet
expectations or suffering from a negligible user uptake include insufficient communication, failure to integrate KM
in everyday activities, a sense of little personal benefit for the user, lack of time to share knowledge, failure to use
knowledge effectively, and difficulties of capturing tacit knowledge [1].Many forces are at work in KMS acceptance when implementation is driven from top: some workers wish
to please their managers; some conform to demands imposed by performance criteria; and some conform to peerpressures. Given that proactive use of KMS is a prerequisite for alleviating many of the problems of ineffective use
of knowledge and knowledge sharing, many researchers and practitioner experts have recommended the use of
incentives and cultural interventions. However, execution of these recommendations is limited by incompleteunderstanding of the problem at hand as well as the means for solving it: fostering commitment and motivation that
is necessary for the success of KMS implementation.
3.1.1 The Continuum of CommitmentWhile most discussions of knowledge management have treated commitment as a binary variable, underlying theory
suggests otherwise. Rather, commitment can be better represented as a continuum ranging from negligible or partial
commitment to absolute commitment to the organization's KM program, and, from avoidance (nonuse) to meagerand unenthusiastic use (compliant use) to skilled, enthusiastic and consistent use (committed use) of KMS.
This view draws upon Kelmans [19] theory of social influence that explains theoretical distinctionsbetween the varied processes by which social influences affect behavior, and has been used in previous research to
explain users adoption of new information systems (cf: [10]) and other innovations (cf: [21]). Kelmans distinctions
include the three processes of compliance (to gain a reward), identification (to establish or maintain relationships),
and internalization (when the behavior is congruent with value system).
3.1.2 Commitment by ComplianceWhen the adopted behavior is primarily a result of incentives, rewards, or punishments, the user may not necessarily
appreciate or understand the value of the desired behavior. Given that the primary focus of the compliant knowledge
workers attention is on the carrot or stick, emphasis is more on maximizing the incentive, and notnecessarily onmaximizing the value added by ones own contributions.
Quantity-based incentives for knowledge sharing or knowledge use would likely lead to minimalinvestment in the process itself and users would focus instead on a high number of contributions of low value. In the
longer run, such problems lead to increased amounts of information in the common pool, but dramatically increased
effort is consumed in finding high quality information that of value in specific organizational contexts.3.1.3 Commitment by IdentificationWith commitment by identification, the adopted behavior is primarily a result of the knowledge workers need for
acceptance by peers and managers and esteem based upon such recognition. Through such identification processes,knowledge workers seek to adopt the values, beliefs, or behavior associated with other well known, recognized, or
popular figures in order to emulate their perceived social image.Two caveats are important about the effectiveness of the social influence processes of identification. First,
the specific role models should be chosen carefully as knowledge workers primarily identify with these socialcharacters and not necessarily with the espoused values or related behaviors. Second, regardless of the conformity of
behavior, the specific content of the induced behavior is more or less irrelevant to the knowledge worker.
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3.1.4 Commitment by InternalizationMost organizations and managers emphasize the need for imparting values that guide specific behaviors. This is not
surprising given that values have a much longer-lasting effect than rewards, punishments, or social recognition in
sustaining desired behaviors. Internalization of values, rather than focusing on extrinsic rewards or social referents,ensures that the knowledge worker is invested at the deepest level in the prescribed behavior that serves the specific
values.Given that there is no 'other' involved, commitment in this case is self-generated and hence there is lesser, if
any, chance of deceiving or cheating that may be present in the case of compliance without real uptake. In this case,
the knowledge worker does not only want to be perceived as contributing to the value of the knowledge processes,
but is genuinely invested in doing so. One can deduce that such behavior would be evident in KMS in which there is
greater focus on value addition through high quality contributions rather than on gaming the system by artificially
inflating the quantity with lesser regard for quality.Compliance can occur only if the organizational managers have control over the knowledge workers whose
behavior they want to change. Identification will serve as a basis for behavior change only if there is strong
affiliation between the role models established and the knowledge workers whose behavior needs to be modeled
accordingly. As noted earlier, both compliance and identification can be manipulative as they may be used to causebehavior change through rewards, punishments, and social recognition. On the other hand, internalization represents
a self-governing process of commitment that produces more lasting change in behavior.The above processes describe the varieties of influence [41] that may exist alone or in combination along
a continuum of use of the KMS: from avoidance or pro-forma and uninvested use on one end to committed and
enthusiastic use on the other [21].The next section describes in detail the motivation construct so that a better understanding of knowledge
workers' behavior is possible based upon an integrated perspective of processes underlying commitment and
motivation.
3.2 Theoretical Bases for KMS User MotivationOften the issue of motivation generates strong debate about incentives for knowledge workers [9]. Regardless, it is
recognized that rewards depend to a great extent on the cultural norms in an organization or group. Wenger et al.([44], p. 181-183) describe the use of rewards and incentives for contributions to KM programs in organizationssuch as Daimler-Chrysler, McKinsey, World Bank, and Xerox. At Daimler-Chrysler the "executive Tech Clubs" areresponsible for reviewing the results of engineering Tech Clubs with emphasis on quantitative data about
contributions to knowledge assets such as completed sections of the Engineering Book of Knowledge (EBoK). At
McKinsey, competitive presentations of various practice-development teams at luxury resorts with attention and
recognition from peers and senior directors are used as rewards for the winning teams.Wenger et al. ([44], p. 182) observe that rewarding "voluntary" behavior poses a dilemma: "How do we
encourage behavior through extrinsic means when the intrinsic motivation for such behavior is considered a matter
of pride and identity?" They observe that people often value the satisfaction derived from giving for reasons of
professional affiliation or commitment to a larger cause, not because they are rewarded with a "carrot". They further
observe that Xerox technicians valued their name being posted "in lights" before thousands of peers over beingrewarded by small financial incentives. They assert that: (a) recognition by peers, not financial rewards, is the
primary motivator for community participation; and, (b) people who contribute regularly to a community often wantthat contribution to be recognized by the organization.
As described earlier, truly voluntary [internalized] behavior is based upon internal value systems of the
knowledge workers in contrast to pride and identity that characterize social influences based upon identification.
Also, their assertions do not provide a satisfactory answer to the two questions posed at the beginning of the paper:
Why do organizations often struggle with incentives for knowledge sharing for users of KMS while similar sharing
of knowledge occurs without any incentive whatsoever in several external online communities? Why do milliondollar investments of organizations in KMS often fail to whet the interest of employees while some of the same
employees participate regularly in external online communities?We believe that the above problem is attributable to ambiguity in distinguishing between intrinsic and
extrinsic motivation and confusion between the constructs of motivation and commitment as discussed by manyauthors (for example, [44], [9]). The rest of this paper presents theoretical development and empirical validation ofthese two constructs to facilitate bridging this gap in understanding that is necessary for solving the "real challenges"of KM [18].
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3.2.1 The Continuum of MotivationMost discussions of knowledge management have treated extrinsic and intrinsic motivation as opposites. This is
theoretically incorrect. Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT) [11,15,35,36] motivation is more accuratelyrepresented as a gradient of knowledge workers' perceived locus of causality (PLOC) of specific behavior as
illustrated in Figure 1.
This theory is the one that has been most extensively developed in Social Psychology and validated over several
studies that relate to the issue of rewards and incentives [14]. A more complete conceptualization of intrinsic
motivation would consider the continuum of PLOC which accounts for variations in the degree to which an
intentional action is self-determined[13]. In the context of KMS, PLOC would determine to what extent intentional
knowledge use, knowledge creation, and, knowledge sharing are self-determined depending upon the actor's
perceived locus of initiation for specific behavior.This extension, developed here, has material significance for how organizational KM programs treat
motivation and related issues of incentives and rewards. In accord with the theory of self-determination, intrinsicmotivation must be understood in a relative sense that contrasts external and internal locus of the users behavior interms of the individual's organismic need for competence and self-determination [12].
As shown in Figure 1, Deci & Ryan [13] suggest that regulation of behavior can be viewed as being self-
determined, controlled, or amotivated. Both self-determined and controlled behaviors are intentional, though only
self-determined behaviors involve a true sense of choice, a sense of feeling free in doing what one has chosen to do.
Controlled behaviors, although undertaken with the intentof achieving an outcome are not truly chosen but
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compelled by some internal or externalforce - one feels one has to do them, whether to attain a monetary payment
or to appease some generalized sense of authority. Thus intentional actions are differentiated along a perceived
locus of causality continuum, anchored by self-determination and [external] control. Amotivated actions, in
contrast, are ones whose occurrence is not mediated by intentionality and hence is characterized by impersonalPLOC. According to the SDT taxonomy of self-regulation, external, introjected, identified and integrated regulation
are all differing forms of extrinsic motivation and can be contrasted with amotivation and intrinsic motivation [37]:1. Intrinsic Motivation(Internal PLOC): "The inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend
and exercise one's capacities, to explore, and to learn." For interest and enjoyment and the inherent satisfaction in
the specific behavior, e.g. I enjoy sharing my knowledge as it gives me a sense of satisfaction. 2.External Regulation (External PLOC): "Such behaviors are performed to satisfy an external demand or
reward contingency." Based on rule following and avoidance of punishment; e.g. My manager will be upset if I did
not share my knowledge. I need to share my knowledge to do well on my performance evaluation.3.Introjected Regulation (Somewhat External PLOC): "Introjection involves taking in a regulation but not fully
accepting it as one's own. It is a relatively controlled form of regulation in which behaviors are performed to avoid
guilt or anxiety or attain ego enhancement such as pride." It is based on self- and other- approval or avoidance of
disapproval; e.g. I am expected to share knowledge by me managers and my peers. I feel guilty if I do not share myknowledge.
4.Identified Regulation (Somewhat Internal PLOC): "Identification reflects a conscious valuing of a behavioralgoal or regulation, such that the action is accepted or owned as personally important." Based on self-valued goals or
issues of personal importance; e.g. I feel great about myself when I share knowledge. 5.Integrated Regulation (Internal PLOC): "Integration occurs when identified regulations are fully assimilated
to the self, which means they have been evaluated and brought into congruence with one's other values and
needs." e.g. Sharing of knowledge makes perfect sense for me.As illustrated in Figure 1, extrinsic is not the same as external in the sense of being outside of the
individual. Introjection, identification and integration are just as internal to the person as intrinsic motivation. They
are extrinsic regulatory styles in the sense that they are concerned with the outcomes or consequences of engaging in
the behavior, rather than with the immediate rewards inherent in the specific behavior.This distinction is important because of the existing confusion in the literature about intrinsic and extrinsic
motivation discussed earlier. Current discussions (cf: [44] and [9]) on incentives and rewards in knowledgemanagement might lead one to assume that all behaviors emanating from within the individual are intrinsic andtherefore of beneficial nature. From the self-determination theory perspective, this is not the case. The consequences
of feeling controlled (i.e. non-self-determining) are the same whether the PLOC is internal or external as in the case
of external regulation, introjection, identification, and, integration as illustrated in Figure 1 [15].
This distinction is also important as it explains how intrinsic motivation contributes to the success of manypublic online virtual communities. The suggestion is not that other behaviors are not present in such self-sustaining
emergent communities of practice. Rather, intrinsic motivation ensures that the processes are primarily driven by
key participants for their own interest and enjoyment to extend and exercise one's capacities, to explore, and to
learn. The above distinction also explains the failure of many online communities that are created by organizations
and institutions but fail to build the critical mass or fail to generate value-added contributions to the knowledgeprocesses facilitated by the KMS despite incentives.
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4. Research Method and Measures
The context of the study is the implementation of a Windows NT based knowledge management system in thehealthcare system to enable communication, coordination and collaboration within an organization wide
reengineering effort. The system's implementation included initial training of users with the goal of immediateimprovement in their effectiveness and productivity.
Data were collected from questionnaires completed by the users participating in the training sessions. Over
a six-week period, 35 performance-based training sessions were conducted in which 239 potential users
volunteered to participate. The specific focus of each performance-based training session was on development of
skills for performance-based activities KMS enabled communication, coordination, and collaboration activities
expected to directly influence organizational performance. These activities were identified by the managers as being
most significant for relating the system based activities to organizational performance criteria. During each training
session, the survey questionnaires were distributed to the KMS trainees who were expected to complete the
questionnaire at the end of the training session. These surveys were returned to the instructor before the trainees left
the classroom. 208 usable questionnaires were received, thus giving a response rate of over 87%. All usersparticipating in the training sessions were cognizant of the potential impact of the new KMS as introduced by the
senior management to them in very high profile meetings. All of them were familiar with the context of the high profile implementation of the new system championed by top executives and functional administrators. As
introduced to all of them in large-scale meetings, the new system was expected to facilitate organizational
transformation through introducing a new paradigm of communication, coordination, and collaboration. The specificand explicit emphasis of the 'performance-based' training on the KMS was on imparting to the users proficiency,
skills, and capabilities for effectively executing the pre-specified communication, coordination, and collaboration
activities enabled by the KMS.
4.1 Instruments Used for Data CollectionKMS User Commitmentis the degree of commitment of the knowledge worker toward the KM program
and related systems and processes based on the effect of social influences on his or her behavior. It is measured interms of Kelmans [19] processes of social influence discussed earlier -compliance, identification andinternalization. The 12-item scale developed by O'Reilly and Chatman [32] and validated by Becker et al. [3] andVandenberg et al. [43] was adapted for measuring the user commitment to the KMS.
KMS User Motivation is the construct representing user motivation and is defined as the degree to which
the system use is self-determined by the KMS user. It denotes the locus of causality of KMS use as perceived by the
user. Internal PLOC(identification PLOC and intrinsic PLOC) implies that the locus of system use is moreproximal to the users own self, whereas external PLOCimplies that the locus of system use is perceived by the user
to be more proximal to external agents. In between the two ends lies introjection PLOCwhich implies behavior is
motivated by approval seeking or by a disapproval minimizing mindset. For measuring PLOC, the scales are
adapted from Ryan and Connell's [36] methodology of 'self-determination,' which they used to determine the
respondent'sperceived locus of causality for one's actions.The measures used for empirical validation are listed in Appendix 1.
4.1.1 Reliability and Validity of MeasuresThe refinement of measures for the proposed constructs follows Churchill's [6] eight-step procedure.
Principal components analysis and maximum likelihood analysis using both varimax and oblimin rotations were
used and compared for each of the proposed constructs. The distinct factors were confirmed from the corresponding
scree test plots. Cronbachs alpha was used for determining the reliability of individual scales and subscales.
Convergent and discriminant validity of the measures was verified by observing the correlations between thevariables of possibly overlapping components.
4.2 Empirical Validation of KMS User CommitmentThe principal component analyses with varimax rotation for the proposed construct of KMS user commitment
yielded 2 distinct factors instead of the 3 proposed factors: Compliance, Identification, and Internalization. All four
items for Compliance loaded on a distinct factor, however, the three items of Identification and three items of
Internalization loaded together on another factor.
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Factor loadings for all variables, which represent the correlations between the variables and the respective
factors, are greater than 0.55 and are thus considered high [31]. Together, the two observed factors account for
60.31% of the variability of the original ten variables representing KMS user commitment.The scree test plot verifies the presence of the two distinct factors having eigenvalues greater than 1. This
observation is consistent with O'Reilly, Chatman and Caldwell [33] and Sutton and Harrison [40], whose empirical
validation of compliance, identification and internalization as dimensions of organizational commitment yieldedsimilar two-factor solutions.
Together, the two factors account for 60.45% variability of the original ten variables. Cronbachs alpha for
the KMS user commitment instrument composed of the original 10 items is .8047. Alpha for the Compliance,
Identification, and Internalization subscales underlying KMS user commitment were .74, .76, and .77, respectively.
However, when the two scales for Identification and Internalization are combined, their reliability is higher than
either separately. The alpha score for the combined IDIN (Identification + Internalization) scale is .86.
Because all ten proposed items for KMS user commitment construct have high loadings, and the two scales
achieved after factor extraction have high reliability, all ten proposed items of this construct were retained in the
refined instrument. This observation was also verified by examining the loadings of individual items on the two
factors that were extracted from the principal components analysis. It was also verified that the two observed factors
are distinct, because the items within the scales correlate highly and the items across the scales have low
correlations. Specifically, a high correlation was found between the items of the Compliance scale as well asbetween the (Identification + Internalization) scale and a low correlation was found across the items of the two
factors. Convergent and discriminant validity of the measures was thus verified by observing the correlations
between the variables of possibly overlapping components.Empirical validation of the measures of KMS User Commitment supports prior theoretical discussion that
questions the dichotomous assumptions about simple presence or absence of user commitment to use, sharing,
renewal, or creation of knowledge. It also suggests that the linkage between the information-based model and the
knowledge-based view of organizations needs to be informed by understanding KMS user commitment in terms of
compliance, identification, and internalization [45].
4.3 Empirical Validation of KMS User MotivationThe principal component analyses with varimax rotation for KMS user motivation yielded three distinct
factors. The scree test plot verifies the presence of the three distinct factors, each having eigenvalue greater than 1
that together explain 66.7% of the total variance: External Regulation (External PLOC): Consisting of EXPLOC2, EXPLOC4, EXPLOC6, IJPLOC8. The last
item (Because my supervisor would think that I should use the KMS) seems to fall in the rule
followingand avoidance of punishmentcategory characterized by External PLOC.
Intrinsic Motivation (Internal PLOC): Consisting of INTPLOC1, INTPLOC2, IDPLOC3, IDPLOC4,
IDPLOC5. These items are all considered under the category of Intrinsic PLOC to include items that
reflect self-valued goalsorissues of personal importance, as well as items that characterize the notions
ofenjoymentandfun. In this broader notion, Intrinsic PLOC is considered to stand forpersonal fulfillment.
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Introjected Regulation (Somewhat External PLOC): Consisting of IJPLOC1, IJPLOC2, IJPLOC3, IJPLOC4,
IJPLOC5, IJPLOC6, IJPLOC7 and EXPLOC7. All these items, including the last item originally under External
PLOC, are considered as items characterizing seekingself- and other- approvaloravoidance of disapproval.
Alpha for the 17-item PLOC scale was .88, which is comparable with earlier observations for the larger set of
users. The Alpha scores for the three subscales EXPLOC, INTPLOC, and IJPLOC are also comparable with thevalues obtained earlier: .81, .84, and .92, respectively.
The factorial solution of our exploratory analysis is comparable with other similar analyses such as that
offered by Ryan and Connell [36] who observed that the items load on two clean subscales, one external and one
internal, the two representing opposite ends of the PLOC continuum. In addition, the middle-ground items, such asthose originally in the introjection and identification categories, generally manifest a cross-loading pattern.
It was also verified that the three observed factors are distinct, since the items within the subscales correlate
highly and the items across the subscales have low correlations. Specifically, the variables within each of the threeobserved subscales had high correlations with other variables within the same scales and low correlations with other
variables within other scales. Convergent and discriminant validity of the measures was thus verified by observing
the correlations between the variables of possibly overlapping components.Alpha for the KM user motivation instrument composed of the original PLOC scale containing 22 items
was .78. However, the elimination of five items that loaded on more than one factor resulted in a noticeable increase
in reliability: Alpha for the shortened KM user motivation scale containing 17 items is .92. Alpha for the EXPLOC,
INTPLOC, and IJPLOC subscales obtained after elimination of five items that loaded on more than one factor are
.777, .845, and .916, respectively.Empirical validation of the measures of KMS User Motivation supports prior theoretical discussion that
questions the dichotomous assumptions about simple presence or absence of user motivation in using, sharing,renewal, or creation of knowledge. It also suggests that the linkage between the information-based model and the
knowledge-based view of organizations needs to be informed by understanding KMS user motivation in terms of theKMS user's degree of self-determination of behavior pertinent to use, sharing, renewal, or creation of knowledge.
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5. Discussion
Despite extensive literatures on knowledge management that have grown over the past few years, there are critical
gaps in existing knowledge that have significant implications for research and practice in knowledge management[1] [18]. This study contributes to development of theory, conceptualization, and measurement of KMS user
motivation and commitment as antecedents of KMS implementation success. Industry surveys as well as academicresearch literatures suggest that these two constructs are of critical importance to advancement of research and
practice for successful implementation of organizational KMS. Alavi and Leidner [1] have underscored the need for
research on conditions that facilitate knowledge creation and understanding of organizational cultures that can foster
knowledge creation.This study developed the theoretical bases for understanding the knowledge workers' commitment and
motivation constructs and supported these with empirical validation of the proposed constructs in the context of a
real world organizational study of KMS implementation. Future empirical research on the integration of motivation
and commitment within diverse implementation contexts of KMS and organizational knowledge management
programs is expected to further advance the theoretical and empirical development of the proposed framework.Prior literature has seemed to imply an infallibility of formal incentives, but theoretical and empirical
evidence exists to suggest that incentives may not always be beneficial for facilitating users' creation, sharing, use,
and application of knowledge. The theoretical bases explained in this paper and validated in prior empirical studiesin related domains also suggest detrimental implications of formal incentives in similar social, cultural, and technical
contexts [14] where value-driven behavior is desirable.It is being increasingly realized that organizational performance often depends more on the ability to turn
knowledge into effective action and less on the knowledge itself [1]. It has also been emphasized that further
research in Information Systems should attempt to bridge the gap between the information-based model of the
organization and the knowledge based view that recognizes diverse perspectives, values and interests of KM users
[45]. By developing the theoretical, conceptual, and empirical basis for KMS user motivation and commitment
issues, this study contributes to understanding of the critical linkages of motivation and commitment between the
information-inputs and knowledge-action-outputs. Better understanding of the role of commitment and motivation in
the above equation will facilitate balanced investments in IT infrastructures and social-cultural infrastructuresrequired for leveraging tacit knowledge [39,42,46].
Better understanding of commitment and motivation of knowledge workers will also help in alleviating the"knowledge application gap" [1] resulting from what users know and what they [choose to] do ordo not [choose to]
do [34]. Organizational attempts to explicate, share and leverage tacit knowledge often presume not
only capability butwillingness on the part of KM users to co-opt in the organizational agenda of knowledge sharing
[1,39,46]. The measures proposed and validated in this paper would facilitate organizational assessment of suchpremises that have critical relevance for organizational attempts to explicate, share and leverage tacit knowledge. It
is also possible that motivation and commitment might change as the KMS becomes a part of the daily work
activities of the users. Therefore longitudinal studies of real world organizational implementations of KMS can
advance our understanding of how commitment and motivation dynamically evolve over extended use. Such
longitudinal studies could deploy behavioral intentions to use the system as an intermediate variable with specificorganizational performance variables that can more concretely define the dependent variable of KMS success. The
context of performance-based training and performance-based activities described in this study may be helpful in bridging the gap between the information and technology inputs and the organizational performance related
dependent variables.Research is now needed that moves beyond the source and state of knowledge to consider the conditions
that facilitate knowledge creation [1]. Accordingly, researchers need to develop conceptual and theoretical linkages
beyond the information-inputs to understand how they translate into knowledge-action-outputs and organizational
performance outcomes. An understanding of these issues is necessary for the justification of organizationalinvestments in the technologies and infrastructures as CEOs demand greater justifications of the dollars spent on
KMS and projected contributions to the bottom line.Also, a richer understanding of sense making and action linkages between information-inputs and
knowledge-action-outputs is necessary. Existing literature in Information Systems has focused on social constructionof knowledge and its implications for organizational performance. As individual level commitment and motivationof actors in a given social network influence success of KMS implementations, a better understanding of relating theindividual, group, and organizational levels of analysis is needed. Given the role ofmeaningandsense makingin the
above linkages, better theoretical, conceptual, and empirical understanding of these constructs will help link the
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information-inputs and knowledge-action-outputs. Any understanding of these constructs will need to consider how
social influences and self-determination influence individual and collective meaning and sense making.Sparse research on the above topics might help explain the existing failures of KMS implementations that
are grounded on the information-inputs but are disconnected from knowledge-action-outputs. Therefore, there isneed for better understanding of how to account for motivation, commitment, meaning, and, sense making in
comparing human performance to machine performance [30]. Except in very limited cases, the sense making andself-determining nature of humans cannot be ignored in comparing human performance with the performance ofmachines. Better understanding of the issues outlined here is expected to result in KMS that effectively leverage the
strengths ofbothtechnologies and humans for maximizing the organizational returns on investments in technology
and social-cultural infrastructures of knowledge management.Acknowledgements: We are thankful to the three anonymous reviewers for their feedback on earlier version of this paper and tothe Center for Creation and Management of Digital Ventures (CCMDV) at Syracuse University for research support.
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References[1] Alavi, M. and Leidner, D. Review: knowledge management and knowledge management systems: conceptual foundationsand research issues.MIS Quarterly, v. 25, no1, Mar. 2001, p. 107-36[2] Barth, S. KM Horror Stories.Knowledge Management. 3, 10, October 2000, pp. 36-40.[3] Becker, T. E., Randall, D. M., and Riegel, C. D. The Multidimensional View of Commitment and the Theory of ReasonedAction: A Comparative Evaluation.Journal of Management, 21, 1995, pp. 617- 638.[4] Charles, S. K. Knowledge Management Lessons from the Document Trenches. Online, Jan-Feb 2002, 26, 1, pp. 22-29.
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[9] Davenport, T.H. and Prusak, L. Working Knowledge: HowOrganizations Manage What They Know. Boston: HarvardBusiness School Press, 1998.[10] Davis, F. D. Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology. MIS Quarterly,13, 1989, pp. 319-340.[11] Deci, E. L. Intrinsic Motivation. New York: Plenum Press, 1975.[12] Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M.Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. New York: Plenum Press,1985.
[13] Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. A Motivational Approach to Self-Integration in Personality. In R. Dienstbier (Ed.), NebraskaSymposium on Motivation (pp. 237-288). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1991.[14] Deci, E. L., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. M. A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewardson intrinsic motivation.Psychological Bulletin, v. 125, 1999, 627-668.[15] Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (Eds.), HandbookOf Self-Determination Research, 2002, University of Rochester Press,Rochester: NY.[16] Dyer, G. and McDonough, B. The State of KM,Knowledge Management, v. 4, no. 5, May 2001.[17] Huber, G.P. Transfer of Knowledge in Knowledge Management Systems: Unexplored Issues And SuggestedStudies.European Journal of Information Systems, v. 10, no. 2, June 2001, 72-79.
[18] KPMG Consulting.Knowledge Management Research Report, Netherlands: KPMG, 2000.[19] Kelman, H. C. Compliance, Identification, and Internalization: Three Processes of Attitude Change? Journal of ConflictResolution, 2, 1958, pp. 51-60.[20] Kelman, H.C. Ethical Limits on the Use of Influence in Hierarchical Relationships. In J.M. Darley, D.M. Messick, and, T.R.Tyler (Eds.), Social Influences on Ethical Behavior in Organizations. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001, 11-20.[21] Klein, K. J. and Sorra, J. S. The Challenge of Innovation Implementation.Academy of Management Journal, 21, 1996, pp.
1055-1080.[22] Malhotra, Y. Knowledge Management in Inquiring Organization.Proceedings of the 3rd Americas Conference on
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[43] Vandenberg, R. J., Self, R. M., and Seo, J. H. A Critical Examination of the Internalization, Identification, and Compliance
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Management Development is best described as the process from which managers learn and improve their skills not only to benefit
themselves but also their employing organisations.[1]
In organisational development (OD), the effectiveness of management is recognised as one of the determinants of organisational success.
Therefore, investment in management development can have a direct economic benefit to the organisation.
Managers are exposed to learning opportunities whilst doing their jobs, if this informallearning is used as a formal process then it is regarded
as management development.
In 2004 the spend per annum per manager on management and leadership development was 1,035, an average of 6.3 days per
manager.[2]
What management development includes:
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structured informal learning: work-based methods aimed at structuring the informal learning which will always take place formal training courses of various kinds: from very specific courses on technical aspects of jobs to courses on widermanagement skills
education: which might range from courses for (perhaps prospective) junior managers or team leaderso Level 2 Teamleading (ILM)o NVQ Level 3o Certificate in Management /Studieso Diploma in Management /Studieso MSc/MA in management or Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees.The term 'leadership' is often used almost interchangeably with 'management' Leadership which deals with emotions is an important
component of management which is about rational thinking.. [3]
The Management Charter Intiative (MCI) originally set out management competencies for management S/NVQs, these competencies arenow part of the National Qualification Framework (NQF), it is from these competencies that managers can be assessed and development
needs determined.
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Articles - Our Motivational Stories
Barriers to Goal Setting
One of the biggest barriers to goal setting can be the thought that, sometimes our goals can seem beyond our
reach. Use the "next-mile" principle to help you overcome your barriers to goal setting.
Curiously, one of the biggest barriers to goal setting
can be too much focus on the bigger picture. It's one
thing to set a challenging, worthwhile goal, it's quite
another to achieve it. Sometimes, what we desire can
seem too far away or just too hard to reach.
Of course, there is much written on this site about
the importance of leadership with vision, purpose and
passion. Thesecharacteristics of leadership are
essential and we still agree with Henry Thoreau when
he said:
Ifone advances confidently in the direction ofhisdreams, and endeavours to live the life which hehas imagined, he will meet with a successunexpected in common hours
However, what if your aspiration seems just that - a dream? What if you think the endeavours required seem toobig a barrier to your goal setting before you even begin? Perhaps the answer comes in taking things step by step.The next-mile principle is illustrated by this short story from our growing collection of motivational stories. Thestory shows how difficult or seemingly impossible goals can be achieved. Not by narrowing your vision, loweringthe bar or altering the dream. Rather than shortening your grasp, perhaps the answer lies in shortening yoursteps....
Benefits of Time Management
This article uses the story of a Greek fisherman showing a Harvard MBA graduate the real meaning of time
management.
Which benefits of time management are you hoping to achieve? To save some time by consolidating activities? Toeliminate typical time wasters? To feel more in control and that you're doing more of the activities that matter?
All of these are valuable but arguably the real benefits come when we think laterally about what timemanagement means.
Here are two things to consider when evaluating the benefits of time management. Firstly, consider a counter-
intuitive thought.
Try defining success in qualitative rather than quantitative terms. It may be that broad, subjective benefits areultimately of greater benefit than the narrow specifics we normally associate with time management theory.
Secondly, begin any activity or project with the end in mind. If you're going to put the time and effort into anactivity, ask yourself, is it really what I want to do? If the benefit of time management is the quality of life we getfrom the time we invest, begin any task with the end in mind.
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Destination Success? Try the Road Less TravelledIs your destination success? Perhaps; if you try taking a road less travelled. This classic poem might inspire you to
reach that destination, and maybe to move from good to great......
Ever thought about where you're going? Is your destination success? This article combines a classic motivational
poem with the priceless advice of best-selling author Jim Collins. In his book: "Good to Great", Collins convincingly
examined what it was that turned good companies into greats. A basic tenet of his book was "first who ... then
what". For these companies, one of the first steps in changing from good to great was to take a road less
travelled.
When Collins and his team started their research project they expected to find that "the first step in taking a
company from good to great would be to set a new direction, a new vision and strategy for the company, and then
to get people committed and aligned behind the new direction." However, the leaders of these great companies
chose a different path.
What did Collins' successful business leaders do differently? Collins' favourite analogy was that of driving a business
like a bus, but one without a particular destination on display. Instead, we imagine the bus with a sign saying
simply - "Destination: Success". On this bus, the driver hasn't decided on a destination then recruited the crew.
On Collins' bus, the first decision is who, not where. "... first get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off
the bus, and the right people in the right seats, then figure where to drive the bus." Once on the bus, the right
people together would work out how to "take it someplace great."
The power of taking a road less travelled is captured in a famous poem by Robert Frost: The Road Not Taken.
Although its possible to interpret the poem in different ways, the most popular interpretation is that it encourages
non-conformity.
It epitomises the value of setting off in new directions, taking a direction that others may not have journeyed.Choosing a different path. Maybe destination success!
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Goal Setting Leaders Put Their Legacy First
Alfred Nobel's premature obituary illustrates the importance of legacy to our happiness, and how it's never too late
to plan for it!
What separates goal setting leaders from the crowd? In any given situation, true leaders are inclined to look at the
bigger picture. True, narrow life goals are important - life is for living, after all. Leaders though, might reasonably
ask: is true success measured by what we have, or by what we leave behind?
As Russell Crowes "Maximus" shouts, when exhorting his troops to battle in the opening scenes of the epic film
"Gladiator": What we do in this life echoes in eternity!
Lesson on Goal Setting
An unusual lesson on goal setting and an interesting business success story.
Want a counter-intuitive lesson on goal setting? How about: not setting goals! Well, perhaps allowing goal-free
time, to be more precise. Most advice on goal setting or time management in the workplace implies the need for
order, structure and regimentation.
It's important though, to ensure that you and your colleagues allow yourself time to think. In fact, one notablebusiness success story indicates how sticking to just such a free-time policy has paid a world-famous dividend.....
A Note-able Story
What if you and your staff could spend 15% of your time on projects of your own
choosing, pursuing ideas you think could make a difference for your organisation? What
kind of lesson on goal setting would that be? That's exactly what U.S. corporation 3M
have done to encourage creativity and to allow people with ideas to take a lead.
The 15 percent rule, as it has become known, has been the catalyst for some of 3M's most
famous products, such as Scotch tape and "notably" Post-it Notes.
But the "Post-it note" story is not just about giving people the time and the opportunity
to follow their ideas. It's also a lesson in perseverance and in realising success fromfailure.
Sticking but not remaining stuck!
In 1968, 3M scientist Dr Spencer Silver discovered a formula for a glue which didn't seem to work properly. It was
sticky, but didn't stick! Another failed experiment?
Possibly, if not for the predicament of a colleague.
Silver's colleague Art Fry was experiencing a problem. A very frustrating problem. Whilst singing in the churchchoir his book marks kept falling out of the hymnal, causing him to lose his page. Fry needed a repositionablenote, one which would stick, but would not remain stuck. Six years after Silver's "failed" experiment, Fryremembered his colleague's low-tack glue.
You may think the story ends here and that the rest is history, but connecting a problem to a possible solution wasonly the beginning. Using 3M's 15% rule, it took Fry another three years to create a practical product. Post-it noteswere first introduced in 1977, and were in mass production by 1980. Today, Post-it is a globally recognised brand,with around 600 products.
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Motivation in the Workplace: How Do You Define Your Work?
Two stories, one from Martin Seligman, the other based on a Peter Drucker story, demonstrate that in all walks of
life people can make their work more a calling than just a job. How do you define your work? These two stories
challenge us all to think again about what we do.
Motivational stories have the power to go where no business plan has ever been! In business, as in life, stories can
captivate the heart, stir the imagination and create the desire to act.
Story telling is an ancient art, but we shouldn't underestimate its effectiveness as a learning and motivational tool.
There are few better ways to learn than by merging creativity with context.
Personal Development Stories
This page contains our stories designed to help you with your personal growth. Whether in search of career
development or just a happier life.
Here's a useful goal setting tip. Reading personal development stories is one of the best ways to add wisdom, wit,
vision, colour, and fun to your personal development plan. Whatever your goal, whether personal growth or formalcareer development, you'll benefit from reading these stories.
Stress Management And Relaxation: The Bigger Picture
This article uses a story which is well known by several names. Whether you prefer buckets, rocks and water, - or
jars, golf balls and wine (like us), the important thing is to remember why you're working.
There can be no doubting the link between stress management and relaxation. Taking time off work for recreation
is essential if were to be healthy, happy managers. The trouble is, those who are most stressed are often the ones
who just cant see the wood for the trees.
The Secret of My Success.....
The Secret of My Success? This challenging story demonstrates how Christopher Reeve bravely redefined success.
It's a story that will make us all think, then maybe think again......
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]
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Perceived Quality Levels and their Relation to
Involvement, Satisfaction, and Purchase Intentions
Rodoula Tsiotsou
This study investigated the effect of various perceived quality levels on product involvement, overall
satisfaction and purchase intentions. The research involved a survey of 204 students at a Greek
university. The results show that perceived perceptions of product quality were significantly related to
all the variables under investigation. However, perceived quality explained more of the variance in
overall satisfaction than in product involvement and purchase intentions.
Keywords: purchase intentions, satisfaction, product involvement, perceived product quality
Introduction
Perceived product quality is perhaps one of the most important constructs in marketing. In recent years,
perceived quality has been the subject of considerable interest by both practitioners and researchers,
mainly in
services marketing (Cronin & Taylor, 1992; Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry 1996). However, work that
integrates the role of perceived product quality within the context of other marketing variables like
product
involvement, consumer satisfaction and purchase intentions has received less attention. Moreover, the
relationships between these constructs for goods rather than services have not been studied
extensively in
marketing.
Perceived quality has attracted the interest of practitioners and researchers because of a belief in its
beneficial
effects on marketing performance. Indeed, the belief that high perceived quality leads to repeated
purchases is
the bedrock of any business. Thus a better understanding of the relationship between perceived product
quality
and product involvement, consumer satisfaction and purchase intentions may help academics develop a
model of
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consumer decision making for goods. It may also provide practitioners with indications as to where best
to
devote marketing attention and scarce corporate resources.
This study intends to contribute to the development of a conceptual framework that integrates
perceived product
quality, involvement, satisfaction and purchase intentions. Specifically, the study investigates the
relation
between differences in quality perceptions and product involvement, consumer satisfaction and
purchase
intentions. It reviews the literature on these four constructs and outlines the expected relationships.
Appropriate
measures are identified and research is carried out among sport shoes consumers. Implications for
theory
development and management are discussed, limitations of the study are noted and possible areas for
further
research are indicated.
Hypotheses
While quality is a multidimensional concept that cannot be easily defined or measured, a
distinction can be made between objective quality and perceived quality. Objective quality
refers to the actual technical excellence of the product that can be verified and measured
(Monroe & Krishman 1985). In contrast, perceived quality is the consumers judgment about
a products overall excellence or superiority (Zeithaml 1988). Perceived product quality is a
global assessment ranging from bad to good, characterized by a high abstraction level and
refers to a specific consumption setting.
The importance of perceived quality derives from its beneficial impact on purchase intentions,
although contradictory research findings have been reported in the literature. Some scholars
support a positive direct effect of perceived quality on purchase intentions (Carman 1990;
Boulding, Staelin & Zeithaml 1993; Parasuraman et al. 1996), others report only an indirect
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Page 1 of 10 http://marketing-bulletin.massey.ac.nz Marketing Bulletin, 2005, 16,
Research Note 4
effect through satisfaction (Cronin & Taylor 1992; Sweeney, Soutar, & Johnson 1999) and
yet others argue that both relationships exist (Tsiotsou 2006). However, it is of note that the
dual effect (direct and indirect) of perceived product quality on purchase intentions has been
found for goods, while the single effects (direct or indirect) have been reported from studies
focused on services.
Although perceived quality is generally treated as a post-purchase construct (Holbrook &
Corfman 1985; Roest & Pieters 1997), some scholars (Rust & Oliver 1994) support the notion
that perceived quality is both a pre- and post-purchase construct, as they argue that a previous
product experience is not needed to assess quality. Whether an interaction, a direct and/or
indirect effect exists between perceived product quality and purchase intentions, marketing
scholars agree that a relationship between these two constructs exists. Thus, it is hypothesized
that:
H1: Consumers perceiving a product being of high quality have higher intentions to purchase
the product than consumers perceiving a product being of low quality.
Often, the terms perceived quality and satisfaction have been used interchangeably, especially
among practitioners. However, Rust and Oliver (1994) proposed that perceived quality and
satisfaction differ in two ways: perceived quality is a more specific concept based on product
and service features, whilst satisfaction can result from any dimension (e.g. loyalty,
expectations). In addition, perceived quality can be controlled to a certain degree by a
company whilst satisfaction can not. Thus, it is suggested that when perceived quality and
satisfaction are regarded as overall assessments, perceived quality is understood as an
antecedent of satisfaction and therefore precedes it (Llusar, Zornoza & Tena 2001, p.721).
The research findings reported by Caruana (2002) and Tsiotsou (2006) verify the preceding
role of perceived quality and suggest a direct effect of perceived quality on consumer
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satisfaction. Thus, it is expected that the higher the perceived quality of a product, the higher
the consumer satisfaction. There is no agreement however, on whether there is an interaction
effect between perceived quality and satisfaction. For some researchers no interaction effect
exists between the two concepts (Llusar, Zornoza & Tena 2001) whereas others have reported
an interaction effect between satisfaction and perceived quality on purchase intentions (Taylor
& Baker 1994). Because marketing research reports that perceived quality is an important
input to consumer satisfaction it was hypothesized that:
H2: Consumers perceiving a product being of high quality are more satisfied with the product
than consumers perceiving a product being of low quality.
Another relationship proposed in this paper is that between perceived product quality and
product involvement. Involvement has been defined as a person's perceived relevance of the
object based on inherent needs, values, and interests (Zaichkowsky 1985, p.342) and more
recently as a motivational and goal directed emotional state that determines the personal
relevance of a purchase decision to a buyer (Brennan & Mavondo 2000, p.132). Involvement
has been divided into product involvement and brand-decision involvement. Brand-decision
involvement is the interest taken in making the brand selection whereas product involvement
refers to the interest a consumer finds in a product class (Zaichkowsky 1985).
Page 2 of 10 http://marketing-bulletin.massey.ac.nz Marketing Bulletin, 2005, 16,
Research Note 4
Marketing researchers have used product involvement for segmentation purposes because it is
related to consumer behavior (Warrington & Shim 2000). Involvement has been related to
information processing and search behavior (Bloch, Sherrell & Ridgway 1986), to brand
loyalty and brand commitment (Beatty & Kahle 1988; Knox 2003), money spent and buying
frequency (Shim & Kotsiopulos 1993). Furthermore, it has been found to have a direct effect
on the level of satisfaction (Richins & Bloch 1991; Tsiotsou 2006), and to be a mediator
between mood and shopping intentions (Swinyard 1993). However, the relationship between
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product involvement and perceived product quality has not been studied adequately in
marketing.
There have been some studies which have indirectly linked involvement to perceived quality
through various cues (Zaichkowsky 1988). Research has suggested that involvement affects
the way quality cues operate. For example, low-involvement consumers are more inclined to
adopt price as a cue whereas high-involvement consumers in addition to price, consider a
variety of cues (Zaichkowsky 1988). However, there has been little to connect involvement
and perceived quality directly. Tsiotsou (2006) found a direct relationship between these two
constructs and reports product involvement is a significant predictor of perceived product
quality.
Another recent study on wine drinkers, suggests that there are differences in the way drinkers
at varying involvement levels approach the quality of the product. High-involvement drinkers
differ from low-involvement drinkers in the conceptualization of product quality and in the
importance of certain product attribute (Charters & Pettigrew 2006). Thus, it is expected that:
H3: Consumers perceiving a product being of high quality are more involved with the product
than consumers perceiving a product being of low quality.
In summary, there are a range of differing opinions about the relationships between the
various constructs outlined above, and these need to be resolved. This study is an attempt to
contribute to this process. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship
between perceived quality and consumers product involvement, overall satisfaction, and
purchase intentions. Specifically, the objective was to examine how different levels of
perceived product quality relate to consumers level of involvement, satisfaction and purchase
intentions.
Method
The particular focus of the research is on university students and sports shoes. A study conducted by
Hsu, Wu
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and Tien (2003) reported that university students attributed a symbolic value to sport shoes related to
their
lifestyle and showed a high degree of involvement with the product. This would therefore seem an ideal
group to
use to explore the relationships between perceived quality, involvement, satisfaction and purchase
intention.
Thus, an anonymous questionnaire was given to 226 university students in Athens, Greece. The
response rate
was 92%.
Page 3 of 10 http://marketing-bulletin.massey.ac.nz Marketing Bulletin, 2005, 16,
Research Note 4
Instrument
The questionnaire consisted of four parts (Table 1). Part I included four questions related to
sport shoes (use, time of use, frequency, importance of attributes).
Table 1: Items of the Study Questionnaire
___________________________________________________________________________
Part I Use of Sport Shoes Scale
___________________________________________________________________________
Q1: Do you wear sport shoes? YES NO
Q2: When do you wear sport shoes?
(during exercise, all day long, when you walk, at work) YES NO
Q3: How often do you wear sport shoes? (1=very rarely, 5= very often)
Q4: What are the most important attributes (1=not important, 5= very important)
taken into account when buying sport shoes?
(Quality, Fashionable, Anatomic, color, design, Cheap)
___________________________________________________________________________
Part II Perceived Quality, Satisfaction, Purchase Intentions Scale
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___________________________________________________________________________
Q1: How would you evaluate the quality of your sport shoes? (1=very bad, 7=very good)
Q2: Overall, are you satisfied with your sport shoes? (1=very dissatisfied, 7=very satisfied)
Q3: Will you buy sport shoes of the same brand? yes, no, maybe, do not know
___________________________________________________________________________
Part III Personal Involvement Inventory (7 point bi-polar scale)
___________________________________________________________________________
important - unimportant
irrelevant - relevant
means a lot means nothing
worthless - valuable
interesting - boring
unexciting to me - exciting
unappealing to me - appealing
not needed - needed
mundane - fascinating
uninvolving - involving
___________________________________________________________________________
Part IV Demographics
___________________________________________________________________________
Q1: Gender
Q2: Age
Q3: Education
Q4: Marital status
___________________________________________________________________________
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Part II consisted of three items. The first item measured perceived product quality (7 point
scale; 1 = very bad quality, 7 = very good quality). The second item referred to overall
satisfaction (7 point scale; 1 = very dissatisfied, 7 very satisfied) and the third item asked
about purchase intentions.
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Research Note 4
Part III measured the respondents involvement with sport shoes. The revised version of the
Personal Involvement Inventory (PII) developed by Zaichkowsky (1985, 1994) was used to
measure involvement with sport shoes. The Personal Involvement Inventory (PII) has a
reported reliability of 0.90 and has been extensively used in the marketing literature to
measure consumer involvement with products, advertising, and purchase decisions
(Goldsmith & Emmert 1991). Part IV gathered demographic data.
Sample
The sample consisted of 128 females (63%) and 76 males (37%), with a range in age from 17
to 45 years (mean = 21.64, median = 21). Most of them were first time students (90%)
whereas 10% already held a bachelors degree. The majority of the respondents were single
(93%).
From the sample of 204 subjects, 197 (96.56%) wore sports shoes. The majority wore them
very often (47.1%) or often (21.2%); 67.9% wore sport shoes all day long and 17.3% only
during exercise. Good quality (32.2%), innovative design (23.6%) and anatomic
manufacturing (15.1%) were cited as the main attributes taken into account when buying sport
shoes.
Analysis
Preliminary inspection suggested that assumptions made in using the MANOVA
(independence of observations, equality of variance-covariance matrices for the independent
variable and normality of the dependent variables) were not compromised to any significant
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extent. Furthermore, using Stevens (1992) sample size recommendations for MANOVA, the
size of the groups (low=60, medium=74, and high=63) was considered more than adequate
for running a 3-group MANOVA (power = 0.90 at =0.05).
Results
One-way Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to uncover group
differences across multiple variables in a design with one factor (perceived quality). The
MANOVA was used to investigate the effect of different perceived quality levels on
satisfaction, involvement and purchase intentions. The independent variable, perceived sports
shoe quality, was used to classify respondents as low, medium, and high quality (with group
sizes 60, 74 and 63 respectively). The dependent variables of the study were product
involvement, overall satisfaction and purchase intentions. The results of the MANOVA are
presented on Table 2.
Table 2: Mean Ratings for the Dependent Variables in Each Perceived Quality Group
a
___________________________________________________________________________
Perceived Sport Shoe Quality Level
Variable Low Medium High
___________________________________________________________________________
Purchase Intentions 2.15 (1.039) 2.65 (0.711) 2.94 (0.246)
Overall Satisfaction 5.02 (0.813) 5.88 (0.661) 6.54 (0.563)
Involvement 4.26 (1.049) 5.11 (0.951) 5.57 (0.962)
___________________________________________________________________________
a
Table contains means and (in parentheses) standard deviations.
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Follow-up Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) and pair-wise comparisons using the Tukey test
were conducted to determine if any differences existed within the groups in the dependent
variables. The null hypothesis of no differences was rejected (Wilks =0.499, p=0.000).
Thus, the overall MANOVA results show that the three groups based on perceived quality
differ overall in terms of their involvement, overall satisfaction, and purchase intentions.
Univariate F-tests were run for all sets of groups on the dependent variables to determine
where the differences existed (Table 3). Significant differences between groups on each
dependent variable were detected (p=0.00). The eta squares (
2
) of the univariate F-tests
indicated that perceived sport shoes quality explained more of the variance in overall
satisfaction (0.441), than in product involvement (0.225) and purchase intentions (0.157).
Table 3: ANOVA Results for the Dependent Variables
___________________________________________________________________________
Variable F Significance ETA Square
___________________________________________________________________________
Purchase Intentions 18.081 0.000 0.157
Overall Satisfaction 76.701 0.000 0.441
Involvement 28.228 0.000 0.225
___________________________________________________________________________
To protect against family-wise error, group contrasts for all the dependent variables were
tested using the Tukey procedure. Pair-wise multiple comparison tests tested each pair of
perceived quality groups to identify similarities and differences. All the contrasts were
significant at the 0.05 level except one (medium vs. high perceived quality group on purchase
intentions) - see Table 4.
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Table 4: Perceived Sport Shoes Quality Contrasts
___________________________________________________________________________
Contrast Estimate (Standard Error) 95% Interval
___________________________________________________________________________
Purchase Intentions
___________________________________________________________________________
Low vs. High -0.79
a
(0.132) -1.10, -0.47
Medium vs. High -0.29 (0.126) -0.58, 0.01
Low vs. Medium -0.50
a
(0.127) -0.80, -0.20
___________________________________________________________________________
Overall Satisfaction
___________________________________________________________________________
Low vs. High -1.52
a
(0.123) -1.81, -1.23
Medium vs. High -0.66
a
(0.117) -0.14, -0.38
Low vs. Medium -0.86
a
(0.119) -1.14, -0.58
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___________________________________________________________________________
Involvement
___________________________________________________________________________
Low vs. High -1.32
a
(0.178) -1.74, -0.90
Medium vs. High -0.46
a
(0.169) -0.86, -0.06
Low vs. Medium -0.86
a
(0.171) -1.26, -0.45
___________________________________________________________________________
a
The mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level.
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Discussion
The main objective of the study was to investigate the effect of perceived product quality on
product involvement, consumers overall satisfaction, and purchase intentions. This
investigation confirmed previous findings on the important role of perceived product quality
on consumer behavior, and lead to the identification of the effects that different levels of
perceived quality have on involvement, overall satisfaction and purchase intentions.
The multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) results showed that the three groups based
on perceived quality (low, medium and high) all differed significantly from each other with
regard to purchase intentions, overall satisfaction and involvement. Thus, the three hypotheses
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of the study were confirmed and perceived product quality was able to discriminate between
the three groups.
The group-mean scores indicate that overall satisfaction, product involvement and purchase
intentions are low in the low perceived quality group and high in the high perceived quality
group. Thus, consumers who perceive the quality of their sport shoes as low are less involved
and satisfied with them whereas they report less intention for buying them in the future.
However, consumers perceiving the quality of their sport shoes to be of high quality report
higher involvement and satisfaction with them and higher intentions to buy them again.
The ANOVA results indicate that the differences between groups on each dependent variable
are significant. However, the biggest difference was detected in satisfaction. Perceived quality
explained 44% of the variance in satisfaction confirming the close relationship between the
two construct reported in previous studies (Llusar, Zornoza & Tena 2001; Caruana 2002;
Tsiotsou 2006). The second biggest difference was detected in product involvement
(explained variance 0.225) followed by purchase intentions (explained variance 0.157).
Pair-wise comparisons between perceived quality groups (low vs. high, medium vs. high, low
vs. medium) in purchase intentions, product involvement and overall satisfaction showed that
all groups were different with one exception: the medium and high perceived quality groups
did not differ significantly from each other in terms of purchase intention. Thus, consumers,
perceiving the quality of their sport shoes being of medium or high do not differ significantly
in their purchase intentions. This finding indicates that a threshold might exist in perceived
quality. When perceived quality passes this threshold, consumers will have the same (higher)
intentions to buy a product regardless of their satisfaction and involvement level with it.
The results on sport shoes (frequency of use and important attributes) indicated that sport shoe
is a frequently used product that has become an everyday and all day long worn shoe. Quality
and design are the two most important factors that are taken into account by young consumers
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when buying sport shoes.
Perceived product quality is an important issue in the development and implementation of
marketing strategies aimed at brand image building and increasing market share. To build
long-term relationships with consumers, marketers must ensure that the perceived quality of
their products among consumers is high and remains so. Thus, when developing marketing
strategies, marketers have to take into consideration perceived quality and every factor
associated with the construct. Knowledge of how service quality is related to satisfaction,
purchase intentions and product involvement might enable marketing managers to develop
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Research Note 4
more effective marketing mixes, as product quality is more under the control of the business.
Because perceived quality is a subjective judgment, marketing managers need to use possible
cues or attributes that are related to quality. For example, external cues such as price, brand
name, warranties, and objective quality information have been found to be related to
perceived product quality and consumers product evaluations (Rao & Monroe 1989; Dodds,
Monroe & Grewal 1991; Dodds 2002). This suggests that promoti