Developing a framework to assess the influence of technostress on academics’ individual performance in a selected higher education institution

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a framework to assess the influence of technostress on individual work performance in South African higher education institutions. It also sought to determine the moderating roles of Technology Self-efficacy and Proactive Personality in this relationship. To address the objective, the study employed a quantitative research approach within a positivist paradigm, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of technostress and its impact on academic staff performance. Data were collected from 304 academic staff across seven campuses of Tshwane University of Technology using an online survey distributed via a fieldworker to ensure compliance with ethical standards. Simple random sampling was employed, and the data were analysed using STATA after being prepared in Microsoft Excel.

The findings revealed that technostress, defined as stress associated with the use and adoption of computer-related technologies for learning purposes, significantly affects the work performance of academic staff. High levels of technology self-efficacy were associated with better task performance despite the presence of technostress, andincreases in technology self-efficacy were linked to significant reductions in counterproductive work behaviour under low and moderate levels of technostress. Additionally, academic staff with high levels of proactive personality demonstrated consistently high performance, regardless of techno-complexity. These findings highlight that academic staff who exhibit strong self-efficacy and proactivity are less affected by stress arising from technology use. Thus, self-efficacy and proactiveness serve as critical moderating factors in mitigating the adverse effects of technostress on performance.

The study underscores several managerial implications for African higher education institutions, including the need to enhance technological infrastructure, provide comprehensive training and support, manage workloads effectively, and redesign policies to reduce the impact of technostress on academic staff. By focusing on task performance, counterproductive work behaviour, and contextual performance, this research contributes significantly to understanding technostress in African higher education. The findings offer actionable recommendations and provide a foundation for future studies to explore tailored strategies for managing techno-overload and complexity in academic contexts.