Users develop habits in relation to information systems (IS) to reduce the cognitive and behavioural efforts needed for using them. However, when these systems have to be discontinued, users face challenges regarding how to stop relying on their legacy habits. Despite their importance, we know little about how legacy habits shape the way users discontinue a legacy system. Through a comparative case-study approach, in a large mortgage firm and an international telecommunication company, we identify three roles that these habits play during the discontinuance process. We demonstrate that legacy habits not only play an ‘inhibiting’ role by keeping users attached to legacy systems; they also play a ‘bridging’ role by acting as a common ground for users to start working with a new system and a ‘deterring’ role when users resent certain habits of working with the legacy systems, despite their orientation to keep relying on these habits. We contribute to the IS habit literature by extending the roles of legacy habits beyond an inhibiting role. We also enrich the conceptualisation of legacy habits beyond the individual level by showing that the socio-technical conditions in which the habits are embedded impact the emergence and evolution of their roles during the discontinuance process. We discuss the implications of our findings for theorising and managing IS discontinuance process.

中文翻译：

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打破或保持习惯：探索遗留习惯在停止组织信息系统过程中的作用

用户养成与信息系统 (IS) 相关的习惯，以减少使用它们所需的认知和行为努力。然而，当这些系统必须停止时，用户面临着如何停止依赖他们的传统习惯的挑战。尽管它们很重要，但我们对遗留习惯如何影响用户停止使用遗留系统的方式知之甚少。通过比较案例研究方法，在一家大型抵押贷款公司和一家国际电信公司中，我们确定了这些习惯在停产过程中扮演的三个角色。我们证明，遗留习惯不仅通过让用户依附于遗留系统而发挥“抑制”作用；它们还通过充当用户开始使用新系统的共同基础和当用户讨厌使用遗留系统的某些习惯时扮演“阻止”角色，尽管他们倾向于继续依赖这些习惯. 我们通过将传统习惯的作用扩展到抑制作用之外，从而为 IS 习惯文献做出贡献。我们还通过展示习惯所嵌入的社会技术条件影响其在停药过程中角色的出现和演变，丰富了个人层面之外的传统习惯的概念化。我们讨论了我们的研究结果对理论和管理 IS 停产过程的影响。我们通过将传统习惯的作用扩展到抑制作用之外，从而为 IS 习惯文献做出贡献。我们还通过展示习惯所嵌入的社会技术条件影响其在停药过程中角色的出现和演变，丰富了个人层面之外的传统习惯的概念化。我们讨论了我们的研究结果对理论和管理 IS 停产过程的影响。我们通过将传统习惯的作用扩展到抑制作用之外，从而为 IS 习惯文献做出贡献。我们还通过展示习惯所嵌入的社会技术条件影响其在停药过程中角色的出现和演变，丰富了个人层面之外的传统习惯的概念化。我们讨论了我们的研究结果对理论和管理 IS 停产过程的影响。