From duty to distress. A sociological exploration of technostress in organizations through the lens of obligations

Technostress is a concern for research and practice. Existing Information Systems (IS) research on technostress tends to predominantly focus on the five technostress-creating dimensions (e.g., overload or invasion) identified two decades ago. However, the dynamic nature of IS and the technological and disciplinary advancements call for a re-examination of constructs. This study adopts a sociological lens, exploring obligations associated with Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) use at work and their interrelationship to employees’ technostress experiences. We apply the concept of obligation to unpack technostress. Using interpretative research based on qualitative interviews, we identify several overlapping obligations that intensify technostress, such as the need to maintain productivity, manage ICT systems, and continuously learn to use new tools. While there is a social element in the creation of obligations, employees engage in these through habits. This study hints at several important aspects: (1) greater awareness of obligations and obligation-driven habits is needed for individuals and organizations to manage technostress; (2) organizations need to recognize the dual nature of ICTs as both enablers and barriers of productivity; (3) employees believe it is their individual obligation to manage technostress, but organizations need to also take responsibility in order to deal with technostress effectively