Information security protection intention in Chinese IT organizations: An integrated research model using psychological ownership, protection motivation theory, and theory of reasoned action

Abstract

Today’s organizations are highly dependent on information security management processes. Concurrently, there is a consensus that information security (IS) employees are the weakest link in the information system chain. Many organizations expect IS professionals to be more devoted to information security protection and to have ownership over information-intensive organizations beyond simply complying with IS policies. However, IS employees are the weakest link in the information system chain has resulted in a research stream that concentrates on IS professionals’ performance of protective behaviors. This dissertation contributes to the research stream by extending the oft-cited protection motivation theory (PMT) in IS literature to include the relationship of IS professionals’ psychological motivation (i.e., psychological ownership (PO) with the mechanism of PMT. To understand why IS professionals carry out protective behaviors, it is essential to consider the driving forces behind these behaviors using theories from behavioral science. In doing so, the processes underpinning these professionals’ behavioral intentions can be understood through a more in-depth approach.