Psychological Reactance And User Workarounds. A Study In The Context Of Electronic Medical Records Implementations

User workarounds are a growing problem in many complex system implementations including healthcare settings. Anecdotal evidence from the healthcare informatics as well as the information systems (IS) fields suggest that many system users are employing workarounds in order to bypass the system’s functionality. Yet, little theory exists on the topic. This study proposes a theoretical model to investigate why user workarounds occur based on psychological reactance, protection motivation and technology threat avoidance theories. We view user workarounds as a response to situational reactance and coping appraisals with respect to electronic medical record systems (EMR). Situational reactance is based on EMR system appraisals, perceived EMR threat to freedom, threat appraisal, trait reactance and job time constraints. Together, these elements form the nomological net surrounding the important phenomenon of user workarounds. We propose to test our model using a multi-method approach. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.