Intranet usage and managers' performance in the port industry
| Pages | 1227-1250 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/02635570710822831 |
| Published date | 02 October 2007 |
| Date | 02 October 2007 |
| Author | Mohd Daud Norzaidi,Siong Choy Chong,Raman Murali,Mohamed Intan Salwani |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
Intranet usage and managers’
performance in the port industry
Mohd Daud Norzaidi
Faculty of Business Management, Universiti Teknologi Mara,
Segamat, Malaysia
Siong Choy Chong
Putra International College, Melaka, Malaysia
Raman Murali
School of Business and Economics, Monash University Malaysia,
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, and
Mohamed Intan Salwani
Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Segamat, Malaysia
Abstract
Purpose – Using the extended task-technology fit (TTF) model, the purpose of this paper is to
examine the impact of intranet usage on middle managers’ performance in the port industry.
Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted on 357 middle managers from various
organisations in the Malaysian port industry.
Findings – The structural equation modelling results indicate that TTF and usage significantly
explains the variance on managers’ performance. TTF is a predictor of perceived usefulness and usage
but it does not predict user resistance. Perceived usefulness is a predictor of usage but it does not
predict user resistance. User resistance does not predict managers’ performance.
Research limitations/implications – The study focuses only on the port industry in Malaysia and
concentrates only on the management perspective of intranet usage.
Practical implications – The results provide insights on how the Malaysian port industry and
other organisations of a similar structure could improve on their intranet adoption.
Originality/value – This study is perhaps one of the first to address the intranet adoption in the port
industry using a comprehensive, extended TTF model (perceived usefulness, usage, user resistance) to
investigate their influences on individual job performance.
Keywords Intranets, Taskanalysis, Malaysia
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
It is beyond doubt that new technology such as intranet is alleged to be an evocative
tool for enhancing individual effectiveness and efficiency (Perrons and Platts, 2005;
Kumar and Liu, 2005; Ta and Kazuo, 2005) and subsequently helps to improve
organisational-wide performance (Jen et al., 2007). It is not surprising that Malaysian
organisations, including the port industry, have been using intranet in their
daily operations. A range of companies in the port industry (e.g. terminal operator, port
authority, immigration department, customs department, and marine department)
utilise intranet in a variety of transactions since the system was introduced in the
mid-1990s. For example, the marine department established a high speed Marine
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Intranet usage
and managers’
performance
1227
Industrial Management & Data
Systems
Vol. 107 No. 8, 2007
pp. 1227-1250
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0263-5577
DOI 10.1108/02635570710822831
Department Intranet (locally known as JALIN) to promote online applications among
staff, shippers, shipping agents, and freight forwarders. Terminal operators, such as
Northport (Malaysia) Limited, and Port Klang Authority, use intranets for their human
resource (HR) activities and to store corporate information. The Customs Department
and the Immigration Department in Port Klang used intranet as an alternative tool for
their in-house communication purposes (Norzaidi and Intan Salwani, 2007b).
However, there are several concerns among the users after using the intranet for
about a decade. Issues such as user resistance, perceived usefulness, task-technology fit
(TTF), and usage have raised the question of whether the port organisations have been
on the right track in terms of their intranet usage and its effectiveness, particularly after
spending huge investments on the systems. A number of studies have indicated the
relatively low-success rates of information systems (ISs) implementation (Legris et al.,
2003) in light of the huge amount of investments that have been made (Wareham, 2001).
Specifically, a number of studies have pointed out the problems with intranet
implementation. For example, a study conducted by Cumming and Cuthbertson (2001)
found that 60 per cent of employees in 23 government departments in the UK disagreed
that intranet improved their efficiency and productivity because it does not pro p up
their tasks. Another study by Sherwood (2001) also indicates that when Grubb and
Ellis introduced its new intranet system, its professionals yearned for the old days
faxing, phoning, and sending letters to their clients although e-mail was part of the
system. She further added that even though its employees are aware that it would be
faster and easier to use e-mail, the technical complexities inherent in e-mail systems
were somewhat daunting. Users in this company were uncertain if they could
remember how to add attachments and perform other functions using e-mail, which
gave them a reason to revert to their old practices. Sherwood concluded that intranet
implementation failed in this organisation, given excessive resistance and was not
perceived as being useful by the employees surveyed. Another study by Dan (2002) on
the US Navy reported that the transition to a $6.9 billion outsourced intranet is still
plagued with problems such as network slowdowns, failed e-mail messages,
locked-down desktops that restrict application flexibility and delays in fielding
Navy-Marine Corps intranet compatible workstations for science and technology
workers, which subsequently increased stress among the users.
To date, there is no viable remedy on how and why this situation occurs. More
interestingly, these issues are rather transpiring in the middle rank of management
because officers of this level are said to be most predisposed by technology diffusion
(Norzaidi and Intan Salwani, 2007a). Unexceptionally, middle managers in diverse
positions such as general manager, director, head of unit, and executives (Norzaidi and
Intan Salwani, 2006) in the port industry would use technology if it fits with the tasks
performed (Goodhue and Thompson, 1995) and subsequently perform well if they are
satisfied with technology usage (Delone and McLane, 1992; Venkatesh et al., 2003),
and vice-versa.
The current study contemplates on intranet since there is relatively little empirical
research focusing specially on it (Tang, 2000). Insofar, not more than ten studi es found
that investigated intranet usage (Barbera, 1996; Cumming and Cuthbertson, 2001;
Duane and Finnegan, 2003; Drennan, 1999; Newell et al., 2001; Phelps and Mok, 1999;
Tang, 2000; Watson, 1999) across different industries (e.g. information technology –
IT, newspaper, banking, government agencies, and telecommunication) in several
IMDS
107,8
1228
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