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Do We Protect What We Own?: A Proposed Neurophysiological Exploration of Workplace Information Protection Motivation

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Information Systems and Neuroscience

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation ((LNISO,volume 32))

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Abstract

Part-time and temporary employees and contractors become a major cybersecurity threat for organizations due to the ephemeral nature of their engagement. Compared with full-time employees, they may be less commited to the welfare of the organization and, therefore, less willing to engage in security recommendations to protect it. Perceived psychological ownership is an important factor that shapes employees’ security behaviors. The endowment effect also explains employees’ tendencies to overvalue information that belongs to them, and conversely, extend fewer protections to information that they view as belonging to others. Thus, employees may be more motivated to safeguard their own information than organizational information. From a principle-agent perspective, this study investigates how three types of employees perceive organizational and personal information, and how different employees make decisions about protecting their own versus organizational information.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA

    Shan Xiao & Merrill Warkentin

  2. Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA

    Eric Walden

  3. University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

    Allen C. Johnston

Authors
  1. Shan Xiao
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  2. Merrill Warkentin
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  3. Eric Walden
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  4. Allen C. Johnston
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Merrill Warkentin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Information Systems and Quantitative Sciences (ISQS), Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA

    Fred D. Davis

  2. University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Steyr, Oberösterreich, Austria

    René Riedl

  3. Department of Information Systems, University of Liechtenstein, Vaduz, Liechtenstein

    Jan vom Brocke

  4. Department of Information Technology, HEC Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Pierre-Majorique Léger

  5. Department of Information Systems, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA

    Adriane Randolph

  6. Department for Digital Business, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Steyr, Oberösterreich, Austria

    Thomas Fischer

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Xiao, S., Warkentin, M., Walden, E., Johnston, A.C. (2020). Do We Protect What We Own?: A Proposed Neurophysiological Exploration of Workplace Information Protection Motivation. In: Davis, F., Riedl, R., vom Brocke, J., Léger, PM., Randolph, A., Fischer, T. (eds) Information Systems and Neuroscience. Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation, vol 32. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28144-1_11

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