Collaborative Use of Information Systems: Joint IT Use Analysis Framework and Typology

Information systems (IS) often involve joint use of information technology (IT), named joint IT use, where multiple users share an IT interface. However, IS literature suggests gaps in understanding group-level joint IT use patterns and their antecedents, consequences, and mechanisms. This paper proposes a holistic framework of joint IT use, offering a typology based on technical elements (system and task) and action levels (user and user group). The framework, inspired by the Input-Mediators-Output-Input model, consists of three layers. (1) Inputs, including characteristics at system, task, individual, group, and organization levels, plus IS triggers; (2) Mediators, made of individual-level, group-level, and cross-level configurations of emotions, cognitions, and behaviors, system attributes, and task configurations; (3) Outcomes, made of consequences of the Mediators layer, which influence the Inputs layer. This framework supports future research in IT use, including on multilevel view of IT use and real-time IT use patterns.