Prof. Dr. Maier Christian

Professor of Information Systems, University of Bamberg

Prof. Dr. Christian Maier is a Professor and holds the Chair of Information Systems, esp. Health and Society in the Digital Age.

Academic career:

Christian studied information systems (Diplom) at the University of Bamberg. He then received a three-year doctoral scholarship from the Bavarian Elite Promotion (BayEFG) through the University of Bavaria e.V. before working as an assistant professor at the Chair of Information Systems, especially Information Systems Service. During this time, he was a visiting scholar at Clemson University (USA) and the University of Lancaster (UK). He then was Associate Professor (Information Privacy in the Digital Economy) at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München. After rejecting further appointments at other universities, he has held a chair at his alma mater, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, since October 2023.

Transfer and research funding:

Christian regularly appears in various television formats (e.g., ZDF heute, ZDF Zoom, RTL Aktuell, RTL Nachtjournal, 3SAT Nano, BR) and on radio stations (e.g., Bayern 1-3, Deutschlandfunk). At the same time, he is interviewed and quoted by various magazines and daily newspapers (e.g., Handelsblatt, Süddeutsche Zeitung).

He leads projects with companies. Examples include cooperations with SAP, Samsung, Bayer, Siemens Healthineers, s.Oliver, baur, Otto and MediLedger. He finances research through grants from the German Research Foundation and joint research projects (ForDigitHealth), among others.

Research:

His research focuses on digital transformation and its impact on people and companies. One of his current research streams focuses on how digital technologies affect individual well-being (e.g., burnout, technostress, eustress). In another research stream, he explains that shocks (e.g., data breaches, a new job) cause people to stop using digital services such as Netflix or Spotify. Another research stream addresses specific questions around current contexts such as Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Blockchain/Bitcoin, and social networking sites. The research methods used are quantitative and qualitative, with different data collection forms such as interviews, case studies, diaries, (cross-sectional and longitudinal) questionnaires, and experiments.

Teaching:

His courses are aimed at Bachelor’s and Master’s students. His current teaching portfolio at the University of Bamberg includes Digital Privacy, Digital Change Management, and Digital Health. Further courses are currently being developed. In addition, he offers the following courses as part of a continuing education program: Electronic Finance, Data Analytics with Python, and Data Science and Machine Learning.

Awards:

Christian is one of the top BWL professors, according to Wirtschaftswoche. For example, he has repeatedly ranked among the ten best business administration-related researchers under the age of 40 in the German-speaking world and among the top 10 percent in the age-independent ranking. The AIS Research Ranking, authoritative for the international information systems community, lists him several times among the top 10 of approx. 15,000 scientists according to publications in the most important eight journals and even several times in first place in terms of first authorships.

He publishes regularly in the most influential journals. For example, over 35 papers have appeared in A+ and A publications (according to VHB Jourqual 3). These include several publications in MIS Quarterly (MISQ), Information Systems Research (ISR), and Journal of Management Information Systems (JMIS). He also publishes in the AIS flagship journal Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS), and all other journals in the Senior Scholar Basket of Eights (e.g., EJIS, ISJ, JSIS, JIT).

His research achievements are recognised externally. In recognition of his outstanding achievements, he was the first business/information systems researcher in the current millennium to receive the DFG's prestigious Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize. Previously, his doctorate „Technostress: theoretical foundations and empirical evidence“ was awarded the Schmalenbach-Preis and the Hans-Löwel Wissenschaftspreis, among others, and his habilitation "Digital work and digital life: theoretical evidence and empirical studies on the discovery, development, diffusion, and impact of digital technologies" the Habilitation Prize of the University of Bamberg. In addition, he received several Best Paper Awards (e.g. ICIS, WI, AIS Transactions on HCI, SIGMIS CPR) and Best Reviewer Awards. He also received the prestigious Early Career Awards from the AIS and the ACM SIGMIS, and a Schöller Fellowship.

He was also awarded the Faculty Award for Good Teaching and the University-wide Award for Good Teaching based on his teaching concept and the teaching evaluations of his students.

Social Media:

Profile on Google Scholar

Profile on LinkedIn

Selected Publications

Maier, C., Laumer, S., Joseph, D., Mattke, J., and Weitzel, T. (2021)
Turnback Intention: An Analysis of the Drivers of IT Professionals’ Intentions to Return to a Former Employer
Management Information Systems Quarterly (MISQ) (45:4), p.1777-1806 (VHB-JOURQUAL 3 Rating: A+)

View Abstract
Recent statistics indicate that most organizations prefer to fill IT vacancies by rehiring IT professionals who previously worked in the organization. Less is known about what drives IT professionals to “turnback,” a term we define as returning to employment with a former employer. To explain this important and rarely considered IT job mobility behavior, we build on job embeddedness theory and on the concepts of shocks and job dissatisfaction from, among others, the unfolding model of voluntary turnover to develop the theory of IT professional turnback. We perform fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) of data collected from 248 IT professionals to draw conclusions about the intention among IT professionals to return to work for a former employer, and develop a midrange theory. Our results reveal two configurations contributing to high turnback intention and three configurations contributing to low turnback intention. Our model distinguishes between work shocks, personal shocks, and IT work shocks. IT shocks are a new category of shocks specific to the IT profession. We contribute theoretically by theorizing a behavior relevant to IT professionals and explaining attributes driving turnback intention.

Maier, C., Laumer, S., Tarafdar, M., Mattke, J., Reis, L., and Weitzel, T. (2021)
Challenge and hindrance IS use stressors and appraisals: Explaining contrarian associations in post-acceptance IS use behavior
Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS) (22:6) , p.1590-1624, http://dx.doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00709 (VHB-JOURQUAL 3 Rating: A)

View Abstract
Post-acceptance IS use is the key to leveraging value from IS investments. However, it also poses many demands on the user. Drawing on the challenge-hindrance stressor framework, this study develops a theory to explain how and why IS use stressors influence post-acceptance use. We identify two different types of IS use stressors: challenge IS use stressors and hindrance IS use stressors. We hypothesize that they are appraised through challenge IS use appraisal and hindrance IS use appraisal, respectively, through which they influence routine use and innovative use. We evaluate our hypotheses by surveying 178 users working in one organization and analyze the data collected using consistent partial least square (PLSc). We find that challenge IS use stressors positively influence routine use and innovative use via challenge IS use appraisal. Hindrance IS use stressors negatively influence routine use via hindrance IS use appraisal. We then dive deeper into these findings using a two-step fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), identifying the presence of challenge IS use stressors and challenge IS use appraisal as necessary conditions for high innovative use. We also reveal that the presence of hindrance IS use stressors and hindrance IS use appraisal only influences routine use and innovative use in the absence of challenge IS use stressors and challenge IS use appraisal. We discuss the practical relevance and transferability of our findings based on a comprehensive applicability check. Our findings advance IS scholarship of IS use stress and post-acceptance use by showing how routine use and innovative use emanate from IS use stressors.

Reis, L., Maier, C., Mattke, J., Creutzenberg, M., and Weitzel, T. (2020)
Addressing User Resistance Would Have Prevented a Healthcare AI Project Failure
MIS Quarterly Executive (19:4), p. 279-296, http://dx.doi.org/10.17705/2msqe.00038 (VHB-JOURQUAL 3 Rating: B)

View Abstract
Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into existing work routines involves invasive changes, and the resulting user resistance can lead to project failure. We describe a failed AI project at a large hospital to implement a cognitive agent and identify the root causes of the user resistance that led to the failure. Based on the lessons learned, we provide recommendations for addressing the causes of resistance for the three types of AI—automation, decision support and engagement.

Maier, C., Laumer, S., Thatcher, J.B., Sun, H., Weinert, C., and Weitzel, T. (2021)
Social Networking Site Use Resumption: A Model of Return Migration
Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS) (22:4), p.1037-1075, https://doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00688 (VHB-JOURQUAL 3 Rating: A)

View Abstract
This research explains why individuals resume using social networking sites (SNSs) after terminating their use. Drawing on return migration theory, we developed a theory-driven model of SNS resumption that includes two novel antecedents of SNS resumption behavior: nonuse-related dissatisfaction and use-related satisfaction. We also hypothesize that dispositional resistance to change moderates the impact of nonuse-related dissatisfaction and use-related satisfaction on resumption. We used a mixed methods approach to refine and evaluate the research model. Study 1 used the critical incident method to identify SNS-specific antecedents of nonuse-related satisfaction and use-related satisfaction, allowing us to refine the research model. Study 2 used structural equation modeling to evaluate our research model using two three-wave surveys: one with recent ex-users who recently decided to stop using and delete their profiles on Facebook and one with long-standing ex-users who stopped using and deleted their profiles on Facebook a long time ago. We found support for most relationships in our model: nonuse-related dissatisfaction and use-related satisfaction drive resumption intentions, and dispositional resistance moderates these relationships. Furthermore, we found that the time elapsed since users discontinued Facebook moderated these relationships such that the effect of nonuse-related dissatisfaction on resumption intention is stronger for recent ex-users and the effect of use-related satisfaction is stronger for long-standing ex-users. Our findings advance the understanding of resumption, an understudied behavior of the IT lifecycle and IT use and acceptance research.

Maier, C., Laumer, S., Wirth, J., and Weitzel, T. (2019)
Technostress and the hierarchical levels of personality: a two-wave study with multiple data samples
European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS) 28:5, 496-522, https://doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2019.1614739 (VHB-JOURQUAL 3 Rating: A)

View Abstract
Even though IS use has numerous benefits for users and organisations, such as improved user performance and greater productivity, an increasing number of users experience technostress. Since technostress can result in decreased user well-being, it is important to understand what leads users to perceive it. Recent technostress research points to the relationship between personality traits and the perception of technostress as a research gap. Given that personality traits are structured hierarchically, we study how and which levels of user personality influence the perception of technostress. In developing our research model, we select personality traits from the three hierarchical levels of personality: neuroticism, personal innovativeness in IT (PIIT), and IT mindfulness. The results of 2 two-wave studies analysing data collected in an organisational setting (sample 1) and through mTurk (sample 2) reveal that all three personality traits influence the perception of technostress, with IT mindfulness having the strongest impact. This study contributes by revealing that user personality and, primarily, IT mindfulness influence the perception of technostress. Additionally, our findings reveal an inverted u-curved influence of techno-stressors on user performance, deepening our understanding of how the perception of technostress influences user reactions.

Pflügner, K., Maier, C., Thatcher, J.B., Mattke, J., and Weitzel, T. (2023)
Deconstructing technostress: A configurational approach to explaining job burnout and job performance
Forthcoming in: Management Information Systems Quarterly (MISQ) (VHB-JOURQUAL 3 Rating: A+)

Awards