Forgetting confidently: Determinants and consequences of trustful usage of information systems in organizations

现代组织中不断增加和变化的数据量需要新的信息处理策略。有效的知识管理需要灵活选择必要的信息，例如，在不确定性或动态经济市场中的决策过程。在这方面，信息系统可以减少决策者的认知负荷，情绪紧张和压力。然而，为了产生这些积极的影响，人们需要信任地使用信息系统，以便“自信地”忘记。本研究项目的目标是建立模型，并实证研究潜在的信任使用信息系统的心理过程，使有意遗忘。基于认知心理学的基本故意遗忘效应（例如，Bjork，1970），该研究项目的第一阶段的结果表明，记忆内容的定向遗忘（有意遗忘的一种变体）也可以在模拟的商业环境中找到复杂的决策任务。在这项研究中，遗忘不是由明确的指令（忘记）触发的，而是隐含的管理信息系统（MIS）的可用性。与我们的预期一致，参与者对MIS的信任是定向遗忘效应发生的重要前提。在这个研究项目的第二阶段，我们希望复制，扩展和转移这些有希望的发现到现有的组织。为此，将在合作公司中实施新的管理信息系统的不同版本。我们希望在现有的社会技术系统中使用具有多个测量时间点的现场实验来验证MIS（即，前-后设计），两个不同版本的MIS（重复测量），以及技术和心理评估标准（认知表现，感知压力等）。此外，我们要检查我们的理论模型，在本研究项目的第一阶段，调查信任的MIS作为一个先决条件，定向遗忘使用两个大的研究与来自不同组织的工作参与者。第一项研究捕获特定的用户事件“在现场”。考虑到未来的发展，第二个研究探讨了自主学习组件对MIS中的信任和定向遗忘的影响。总之，这个研究项目遵循全周期的方法，其中理论建设和实验测试是由实地研究补充。

Continuously increasing and changing amounts of data in modern organizations demand new information handling strategies. Effective knowledge management requires a flexible selection of essential information, for example, for decision processes under uncertainty or in dynamic economic markets. In this regard, information systems can reduce decision maker’s cognitive load, emotional strain, and stress. However, for those positive effects to occur, persons need to use the information systems trustfully in order to forget “confidently”. The goal of the present research project is to model and empirically examine the psychological processes underlying trustful use of information systems, enabling intentional forgetting. Building on the basic intentional forgetting effect from cognitive psychology (e.g., Bjork, 1970), results of the first phase of this research project demonstrated that directed forgetting (a variation of intentional forgetting) of memory content can be found also in a simulated business context with complex decision making tasks. In this study, forgetting was not triggered by an explicit instruction (to forget) but rather implicitly by the availability of a management information system (MIS). In line with our expectations, participants’ trust in the MIS was an important precondition for the effects of directed forgetting to occur. In the proposed second phase of this research project, we want to replicate, extent, and transfer those promising findings into existing organizations. To this end, different versions of a new MIS will be implemented in collaborating companies. We want to validate the MIS in existing socio-technical systems using a field experiment with several measurement points in time (i.e., pre-post design), two different versions of the MIS (repeated measurement), and technical as well as psychological evaluation criteria (cognitive performance, perceived stress, etc.). Additionally, we want to examine our theoretical model developed in the first phase of this research project by investigating trust in the MIS as a precondition for directed forgetting using two large studies with working participants from different organizations. The first study captures specific user events “in situ”. Considering for future developments, the second study examines the influence of self-learning components on trust in the MIS and directed forgetting. Together, this research project follows a Full-Cycle approach, in which theory building and experimental testing is complemented by field studies.