Mobile ICT Overuse in the Construction Industry: Effects on Job Burnout of Project Managers

Abstract

Mobile information and communication technologies (MICTs) have been widely adopted to facilitate construction project management by many construction organizations. Yet, scholars have rarely emphasized the growing concern regarding the overuse issue of MICT among construction management professionals, especially construction project managers (CPMs). Against this background, drawing on the stressor-strain-outcome framework and job demand-resources model, this research aimed to explore how different MICT overuse patterns (i.e., MICT excessive use at work and MICT connective use after work) by CPMs affect their well-being in terms of job burnout and the underlying mechanism. The moderating role of team member support was also examined as the boundary condition in the influencing process of MICT overuse. Empirical data from 216 CPMs were analyzed with structural equation modeling. The results revealed that both patterns of MICT overuse led to the two strains including technology–work conflict and role overload, which in turn exacerbated CPMs’ job burnout. In addition, team member support was found to buffer the impacts of MICT connective use after work on these strains. This study highlights the need for a deeper understanding of the negative side of MICT use in the construction project context with guidance for construction organizations on mitigating the adverse effects of MICT use in practice. Furthermore, these empirical findings bring useful insights into the causes of CPMs’ job burnout through a novel human–technology interaction perspective.