Impact of ICT Function Use on Employees’ Job Performance in International Engineering Enterprises: A Configurational Perspective

The widespread application of information and communication technology (ICT) enhances the efficiency of information transmission across geographically dispersed organizations and reduces communication costs, providing opportunities for international engineering enterprises to effectively support overseas project departments. However, existing studies have also recognized the negative impacts of ICT use on overseas employees’ performance, such as causing information overload and increasing job stress on employees. Traditional linear analysis methods struggle to reveal the interactions between distinct ICT functions and lack differentiated explanations for ICT management tactics under varying contextual conditions. This study introduces a configurational perspective, analyzing survey data from 179 employees in overseas project departments of international engineering enterprises. By using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), this study systematically investigates the dynamic alignment patterns among ICT support, ICT control, ICT-induced job stress, project size, and job complexity. The study reveals complementary and substitutive relationships between ICT functions and their impact paths on job performance across different contexts. Key findings include: (1) Three pathways lead to the high job performance of employees in overseas project departments, with path selection influenced by contextual conditions, including project size and job complexity; (2) low job performance is not symmetrically related to high performance but arises from control failure (high-frequency control with high stress) or the absence of ICT support function; and (3) ICT-induced job stress primarily stems from control function, while support function mitigates such stress. The results provide theoretical insights into the interplay of ICT functions, contextual conditions, and their impacts on job performance. Practical guidance is offered for enterprises to optimize ICT use for enhanced employee performance.