Understanding the System Fit Challenge at the Initial Post-Adoption Stage: The Roles of Emotions in Users' Adaptation Behaviors

Users’ adaptation behaviors are vital to the success of the system if there is a poor fit between task and technology at the initial post-adoption stage. However, prior studies have mixed results on how users adapt to the fit challenge. We draw on coping theory and appraisal theory of emotion to develop an encounter-emotion-coping framework to reconcile the mixed results by exploring the links between fit, emotions, individual adaptation and task-technology adaptation behaviors. The paths were tested through a survey of 283 nurses. Results suggest that emotions felt by users at the initial stage explain the relationship between fit and the two adaptation behaviors. This study (1) extends our understanding of the consequences of fit issue, (2) unveils the roles of different emotions in eliciting users’ adaptation behaviors, and (3) differentiates individual adaptation from task-technology adaptation in terms of their emotional antecedents. Implications for practice are discussed.