Exploratory Usage of Enterprise Systems: The Joint Effects of Intrinsic Motivation and Psychological Empowerment

Users’ exploratory usage of enterprise systems plays a critical role in determining the extent to which an adopting organization can materialize the purported benefits of the system. As such, examining the antecedents of exploratory usage of ES is of great interest to researchers. In this study, we intend to explore how different components of intrinsic motivation (i.e., intrinsic hedonic and normative motivation) and what users experience in their system exploration process (i.e., psychological empowerment) jointly affect exploratory usage. Drawing upon motivation theories and the Regulatory Engagement Theory, we develop a research model that will be tested by survey data. Possible theoretical contributions and managerial implications are discussed.