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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Robert Willison
This is the authors' accepted manuscript of an article that has been published in its final definitive form by Wiley-Blackwell, 2018.
For re-use rights please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.
Insider computer abuse, the problem of intentional computer-related crimes by employees, is a costly and significant problem for firms. A major motive for such actions is created in the organizational context, in the form of employee disgruntlement. To date, the issue of disgruntlement has been overlooked in the IS security field. In a bid to address this deficiency, the theory of organizational justice, the techniques of neutralization, and the role of deterrence are offered as lenses for evaluating the formation of employee disgruntlement leading to computer abuse behaviors. We have evaluated the impacts of these organizational injustice perceptions and neutralization on the formation of employee intention to commit computer abuse activities in violation of security policies and procedures, with additional influences of deterrence. Utilizing the factorial survey method, we have empirically evaluated the association between these antecedents and behavioral intention to violate IS security policies in an environment where the measurement of actual behavior would be impossible. Our findings suggest that individual employees may form intentions to commit insider abuse behaviors if procedural and organizational injustice are perceived, and further that when the techniques of neutralization (collectively) are employed, the former relationships are found to be stronger. Implications for practice and theory are presented.
Author(s): Willison R, Warkentin M, Johnston AC
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Information Systems Journal
Year: 2018
Volume: 28
Issue: 2
Pages: 266-293
Print publication date: 01/03/2018
Online publication date: 02/12/2016
Acceptance date: 06/10/2016
Date deposited: 24/10/2017
ISSN (print): 1350-1917
ISSN (electronic): 1365-2575
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12129
DOI: 10.1111/isj.12129
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