An empirical test of the theory of relationship constraints

Gregory S. Dawson, Richard T. Watson, Marie Claude Boudreau

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Agency theory has long been a stalwart of IS research and is one of the most commonly used lenses to study the relationship between a principal and an agent. The Theory of Relationship Constraints (TRC) has recently been recommended as an information-oriented alternative to agency theory. TRC suggests that three attributes (i.e., the level of information asymmetry, levels of tacit and explicit knowledge) affect the perceived efficacy of a relationship constraint. As the first empirical test of TRC, this study uses scenario analysis to show that, as these attributes change, so do the constraints that are perceived as effective. No single constraint, as predicted, is perceived to be universally effective. Under certain conditions, social versus legal constraints have greater perceived efficacy, but this varies with the three attributes. This research provides support for TRC and suggests insights for future research and current practice.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationInternational Conference on Information Systems 2011, ICIS 2011
PublisherAIS/ICIS Administrative Office
Pages2364-2379
Number of pages16
ISBN (Print)9781618394729
StatePublished - Jan 1 2011
Event32nd International Conference on Information System 2011, ICIS 2011 - Shanghai, China
Duration: Dec 4 2011Dec 7 2011

Publication series

NameInternational Conference on Information Systems 2011, ICIS 2011
Volume3

Other

Other32nd International Conference on Information System 2011, ICIS 2011
Country/TerritoryChina
CityShanghai
Period12/4/1112/7/11

Keywords

  • Agency theory
  • Empirical research
  • IS consulting
  • Legal constraints
  • Scenario research
  • Social constraints
  • Theory of relationship constraints
  • Theory testing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Information Systems

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