Mobile ICT Overuse in the Construction Industry: Effects on Job Burnout of Project Managers
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 148, Issue 6
Abstract
Mobile information and communication technologies (MICTs) have been widely adopted to facilitate construction project management by many construction organizations. Yet, scholars have rarely emphasized the growing concern regarding the overuse issue of MICT among construction management professionals, especially construction project managers (CPMs). Against this background, drawing on the stressor-strain-outcome framework and job demand-resources model, this research aimed to explore how different MICT overuse patterns (i.e., MICT excessive use at work and MICT connective use after work) by CPMs affect their well-being in terms of job burnout and the underlying mechanism. The moderating role of team member support was also examined as the boundary condition in the influencing process of MICT overuse. Empirical data from 216 CPMs were analyzed with structural equation modeling. The results revealed that both patterns of MICT overuse led to the two strains including technology–work conflict and role overload, which in turn exacerbated CPMs’ job burnout. In addition, team member support was found to buffer the impacts of MICT connective use after work on these strains. This study highlights the need for a deeper understanding of the negative side of MICT use in the construction project context with guidance for construction organizations on mitigating the adverse effects of MICT use in practice. Furthermore, these empirical findings bring useful insights into the causes of CPMs’ job burnout through a novel human–technology interaction perspective.
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Data Availability Statement
The data generated or analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author by request.
Acknowledgments
This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 72171177) and the China Scholarship Council (Grant No. 202106260238).
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Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 148 • Issue 6 • June 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Sep 18, 2021
Accepted: Jan 14, 2022
Published online: Mar 17, 2022
Published in print: Jun 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Aug 17, 2022
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