Communication overload survey data

This study analyzes the dual impact of increased communication in digital workplace: improving work productivity while increasing stress due to communication overload, and its effects on employees' conative use of collaboration tools. Conative system use refers to proactive behavior in which users effectively utilize work tools to solve problems and maximize performance, explaining the actual level of usage in situations where specific programs must be used mandatorily. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory's triadic reciprocal determinism, this study examines the dynamic interactions among environmental, personal, and behavioral factors, specifically focusing on how communication overload affects user attitudes, fatigue, usage intentions, and conative system use in mandatory technology environments.
Using structural equation modeling with time-lagged data collected from 277 knowledge workers, we find that communication overload increases both continuance intention and discontinuous usage intention toward collaboration tools through the mediating effects of attitude toward collaboration tool use and fatigue in collaboration tool use. Interestingly, both continuance intention and discontinuous usage intention positively influence conative system use, suggesting that conflicting user motivations can lead to the same behavioral outcome through different pathways. This study contributes to technology acceptance research by clarifying the dual mechanisms through which communication overload influences user behavior in digital work environments. The findings offer theoretical frameworks for understanding employees' psychological responses and adaptive behaviors when adopting collaboration technologies. This study also provides organizations with insights for managing communication overload's negative effects while leveraging its productivity benefits.