Testing the Technology-to-Performance Chain Model

Goodhue and Thompson proposed the technology-to-performance chain (TPC) model in 1995 to help end users and organizations understand and make more effective use of information technology. The TPC model combines insights from research on user attitudes as predictors of utilization and insights from research on task-technology fit as a predictor of performance. In this article, the TPC model was tested in two settings - voluntary use and mandatory use. In both settings, strong support was found for the impact of task-technology fit on performance, as well as on attitudes and beliefs about use. Social norms also had a significant impact on utilization in the mandatory use setting. Beliefs about use only had a significant impact on utilization in the voluntary use setting. Overall, the results found support for the predictive power of the TPC model; however, the results show that the relationships among the constructs in the model will vary depending on if the users have a choice to use the system or not.