Structural equation modelling (SEM) is a general method that aims at estimating models with latent variables (LVs), where the LVs are measured indirectly and with some imprecision via questionnaires. This is done usually employing question-statements answered on Likert-type scales. In this paper we discuss various forms of SEM, and demonstrate that composite-based models, common in classic partial least squares (PLS) implementations, are poorly aligned with the very idea of SEM. We argue that minimisation of type I and II errors, or false positives and negatives respectively in hypothesis testing, can only happen if LVs are implemented as factors (and not as composites). This requires the use of modern, factor-based PLS methods, which have some advantages not only over classic PLS implementations, but also over covariance-based SEM approaches. Our main goal with this paper is to stimulate debate, whether pro or against our views. If we are generally correct in our thinking, the impact on how quantitative research is conducted in the field of information systems, as well as many other fields, could be quite dramatic. The reason for this is the widespread use of SEM in information systems, business, and the behavioural sciences.

With the increasing use of social networking sites, within and outside work hours, it is reasonable to ask whether that use has any impact on job performance and why. This study draws on the technology acceptance model and theory of positive emotions to develop an extended theoretical model centered on social networking site use. We focus on use, but not excessive use, recognizing that negative outcomes may result from social networking site addiction. The model incorporates predictors of social networking site use as well as organizational effects of this use, including its effect on job performance. To conduct an initial test of the model we collected and analyzed data from 178 Facebook users. While we investigated Facebook use in general, within and outside work hours, our results control for the existence of policies limiting social network site use at work. The analysis employed factor-based structural equation modeling using the software WarpPLS. The results suggest that positive emotions related to the use of social networking sites, in terms of increased job satisfaction and organizational commitment, are associated with increased job performance.

Although previous research has explored the effects of social networking site (SNS) use in organizations, researchers have focused little on its negative consequences. This article attempts to fill this void by examining, through the lens of social cognitive theory, the extent SNS addiction impacts personal and work environments . The results, based on 276 questionnaires completed by employees in a large information technology corporation, show that addiction to SNSs has negative consequences on the personal and work environments . SNS addiction reduces positive emotions that augment performance and enhance health. SNS addiction fosters task distraction, which inhibits performance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The information overload phenomenon has been studied for many years, and has proven to be more complex than researchers believed it to be. The study presented here aims at shedding some light on the complexity of information overload, by examining the relationship between perceived information overload intensity and three traditional and one nontraditional information overload predictors. The nontraditional predictor was power distance, which was manipulated through the collection of data from 184 local managers and professionals in New Zealand, Spain and the USA. The data analyses employed partial least squares-based structural equation modeling, and led to one surprising conclusion: perceived information overload intensity seems to be more strongly related to power distance than to the volume of written information or number of information transactions processed by an individual. This conclusion is referred to here as the information overload paradox.

Prior research on the use of electronic communication media by teams performing complex tasks has led to contradictory findings. Much research has suggested that electronic communication media, due to not incorporating important elements found in face-to-face communication, pose obstacles for communication in comparison with the face-to-face medium. On the other hand, research has also suggested that teams interacting primarily electronically could perform quite well, sometimes even better, than face-to-face teams. A new theoretical framework, which builds on the notion of compensatory adaptation, has recently been advanced to explain these contradictory findings, arguing that (a) electronic communication media do pose obstacles to communication, and (b) individuals working in teams often compensate for obstacles posed by electronic communication media, which sometimes leads to team outcomes that are just as good or even better than those achieved by similar groups interacting primarily face-to-face. This study tests compensatory adaptation theory through a survey of 462 new product development teams, and finds general support for the theory. Important implications for research and practice are also discussed.