Moderating role of personal values on managers’ intention to adopt Green IS: Examining norm activation theory

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of the personal values on the antecedents of managers’ intention to adopt Green information system (Green IS) utilising the norm activation theory and the Schwartz’s values system.

To examine the effects of the identified factors on the behavioural intention, the survey method was employed. The questionnaire was distributed targeting decision makers of companies in three industries – oil/gas/energy, transportation and manufacturing and construction. With 146 valid questionnaires in hand, the collected data were analysed using the partial least squares structural equation modelling technique.

The results revealed that moral obligation (personal norm) of managers influenced their intention to adopt Green IS. While the awareness of consequences and ascription of responsibility are influencing the intention, but the analyses revealed that they are mediated by the personal norm. The moderating role of personal values was further analysed and the results showed that the managers with more orientation towards self-transcendence values have higher intention to adopt Green IS.

This study serves as a call to the IS literature to incorporate values, beliefs, and norms into their model of individual-level decision making towards contemporary innovation adoption. By enriching the understanding of the influence of values and attitudinal factors on the decision-making process, the research model sheds light on how managers intend to diffuse IS initiatives in their organisations for the purpose of environmental sustainability.