A technology empowerment model for engineering work

Seeking to enhance the use of information technology for problem solving/decision support efforts and innovation in engineering work, management has sought to empower engineers by investing in increasingly powerful software capabilities and peer support networks to facilitate an experiential process of working and learning. Based on the concept of psychological empowerment from the management literature, the researchers propose a technology empowerment model (TEM) for the post-adoptive context of engineering design work. This model describes whether individual engineers are energized by cognitive task-technology assessments to engage in an ongoing experiential process. The model contends that psychological empowerment is affected by software capabilities and peer support and, in turn, motivates engineering problem solving/decision support efforts and work process innovations. The model is tested using a sample of 208 individuals engaged in engineering design work. Implications for improving the management of engineering work are discussed.