Background and Objectives: The influence of information and communication technology, expansion of activities, globalization, and rapid technological change have increased organizations’ need for flexibility and timely access to information. Integrated information systems have therefore become essential tools for organizational management. Office automation systems, as a type of information system, support the creation, storage, modification, transmission, and display of organizational correspondence and information. Because the use of information technology involves interaction between people and systems, user characteristics may affect the success and use of information systems. Various models have been proposed to evaluate information-system success, among which the DeLone and McLean model is widely used. In this model, user characteristics such as attitudes toward technology, enjoyment, trust, and expectations may be associated with perceptions of system quality, information quality, service quality, intention to use, and user satisfaction. Lorestan University of Medical Sciences conducts a wide range of educational, research, and healthcare activities and relies extensively on information systems to manage organizational information flows. Given the importance of its office automation system, the present study investigated the relationship between users’ characteristics and use of the office automation system of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, with system quality considered as a mediating factor.
Methodology: This applied study was conducted using an analytical survey method. The research population consisted of all 10,082 employees who used the university’s office automation system. Based on the Krejcie and Morgan table, 384 employees were selected through proportional stratified sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-administered questionnaire. The instrument had face validity and construct validity, and its reliability coefficient was reported as Cronbach’s alpha = 0.94. The collected data were analyzed using LISREL version 8.8. The study examined user-related characteristics, including attitude toward information technology, enjoyment, trust, and expectations from information technology; system-related quality dimensions, including system quality, information quality, and service quality; and use of the office automation system. Statistical analyses were used to assess the status of these variables and to examine the relationship between user characteristics and system use as well as the mediating role of quality dimensions.
Findings: The results showed that the observed values for users’ characteristics were above the average level. Specifically, attitude toward information technology was reported at 90%, enjoyment at 94.4%, trust at 76%, and expectations from information technology at 91.2%. Regarding quality dimensions, system quality was reported at 79%, information quality at 81%, and service quality at 73%. The level of office automation system use was reported at 83%. These observed values were statistically significant at P < 0.01 and were higher than the average score of 3. In addition, a positive and significant relationship was found between users’ characteristics and use of the office automation system (λ = 0.71, t = 4.87). The findings further indicated that the quality dimensions of the information system affected the relationship between users’ characteristics and system use. In other words, system quality, information quality, and service quality played a mediating role in the relationship between user characteristics and use of the office automation system.
Discussion: The findings indicate that users and information systems should not be considered independent elements within an organization. Attention to users’ characteristics can facilitate more effective use of information systems and contribute to their success. Given the desirable status of the office automation system’s quality dimensions, improving system quality may indirectly support both acceptance of the system and expansion of its use. Employees who have access to the system but do not use it effectively may require appropriate organizational conditions, including improved infrastructure and enhanced skills for system use. Because system quality has a positive effect on users’ use of the office automation system, increasing the system’s capacity to respond to emerging workplace needs and improving its ability to communicate with other organizational information systems may strengthen system performance. Reducing the time required for data processing, providing mechanisms for correcting system errors, and simplifying the system for users may also improve perceived quality. As the quality of the office automation system increases, users’ reliance on the system and their routine use of it may also increase. Overall, the findings suggest that attention to user characteristics together with improvements in system quality, information quality, and service quality can provide a more favorable context for successful and sustained use of office automation systems in the university.