EDMS Use in Local E-Government

Abstract

This study analyzes the effects of several post-adoption behaviors (extent of use, routinization and infusion) on overall performance in using an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS). Furthermore, the authors test whether the routinization and infusion variables mediate the influence of the extent of use on overall performance. This research collects data from a survey answered by 2,175 employees (EDMS users) of Portuguese municipalities. The Partial Least Squares technique is applied to test the model. The results showed that routinization is directly predicted by the extent of use, whereas infusion is directly affected by the extent of use and also by routinization. Consequently, such post-adoptive behaviors are interrelated not only in a sequential process, but also in parallel, meaning that the infusion state of EDMS use is achieved from the evolutionary process of EDMS use and also directly from each of the prior stages of EDMS use. In addition, overall performance is directly influenced by routinization and infusion, signifying that the more employees use the EDMS to its fullest extent, the more likely it is for the overall performance to improve. Finally, an indirect effects analysis shows that routinization and infusion mediate the relationship between extent of use and overall performance.