e-Collaboration Satisfaction: Empirical Field Studies of Disconfirmation Theory Across Two Cultures

Research has shown that although e-collaboration technologies can improve productivity, users will abandon these technologies if they feel dissatisfied after using them. Successful implementation of e-collaboration technologies can be especially challenging with cross-cultural teams, which often bring different values and expectations to their collaboration experiences. We seek to further understand the e-collaboration satisfaction phenomenon through disconfirmation theory. A disconfirmation model of e-collaboration satisfaction is tested with field studies in two cultures (the Netherlands and United States) which differ substantially on the cultural dimension of masculinity. Participants included 254 knowledge workers from the Netherlands and 259 knowledge workers from the United States. The disconfirmation model was supported in both cultures. Participants who reported positive disconfirmation with respect to a collaboration session scored significantly higher on a satisfaction scale than participants who reported negative disconfirmation. Implications for practitioners are discussed.