Are Smartphones helpful? An empirical investigation of the role of Smartphones in users' role performance

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of three key Smartphone computing functions (SCF) on three dimensions of organisational role performance. Using survey data collected from 185 organisational workers across industries, we found that (1) workers tend to use SCF more frequently when they are often relocated and when they perceive organisational support for Smartphone use; (2) the use of informational functions tends to enhance all three dimensions of organisational role performance; (3) the use of social networking functions tends to improve interpersonal role performance; (4) the use of resource management functions tends to enhance interpersonal role performance; and (5) workers perceive their decisional and interpersonal role performance as instrumental in improving their overall job performance. The current study adds to the growing body of the literature examining the role of mobile applications (Apps) in Smartphones and their managerial implications.