IT convergence service as the main stream of digital age is now on its way to the concept of SaaS (Software as a service) that IT product and service are integrated as one. SaaS is the form of IT outsourcing service as the hosted application in which users tap into the application of other companies rather than license or develop software in house. The emergence of the SaaS business model has attracted both researchers and business practitioners. Especially, the on-demand model represented by SaaS (Software as a Service) is being expected as the innovative technology which brings the great change in software industry. However, in spite of optimistic outlook of SaaS, many corporations capable of in-housed SW development hesitate or decide not to adopt SaaS due to the critical issues such as the ‘integration with legacy IS’ or ‘system reliability’. Furthermore, existing researches still doubt on the performance increase effect from SaaS adoption, asserting that the SaaS will only serve users with light demand whereas high-demand users will prefer to buy the in-house (on-premise) developed software. In order to fill the gap between the expected benefits of SaaS adoption and its disappointing results in the real world, therefore, it is necessary that actual outcome and performance drivers be analyzed through empirical researches. There is also an increasing need to better understand what makes SaaS successful from the supply-side perspective to enlarge client base. To achieve this objective, this dissertation researches into how existing IS theories are applied to measure SaaS performances. Firstly, this study presents research model that conjugates the key elements from the IS research streams. They have been broadly established by the need of measuring IS performance impact and continuous use intention. These key-elements include the antecedents of TTF, task-technology fit, SaaS performances, and IS continuance intention. They explain performance variables’ influences and their relationships on the SaaS continuance usage - the ultimate goal of SaaS adoption. Then, this study introduces SaaS technology maturity as the exogenous-technological characteristic and organizational absorptive capacity as the indigenous-organizational characteristic, which supplements the limited influencing power of the ‘task-technology fit’ alone to the SaaS performances. In order to verify proposed research model, two hundreds and nineteen valid samples of SaaS utilization corporations were collected from the survey. Data analysis using AMOS showed that research constructs had good fit with data gathered, which showed significant coefficients and explanatory power. As expected by the research hypotheses, it was found that TTF and its performance variables (individual performance, group performance, and user satisfaction) were significant for fostering SaaS continuance intention. Also, this dissertation showed two moderator variables (SaaS technology maturity and organizational absorptive capacity) were interacting major paths related to the task-technology fit and performances within the entire model. The results suggest that when managers apply innovative technology (such as SaaS), applying technology when it reaches certain level of maturity is more helpful to increase task-technology fit and to make better performance. Also, they suggest that when innovative technology is newly adopted, supports both from education and tangible compensation are necessary to help users improve the IS induced job performance. This study made academic contribution by establishing TTF model with the organizational absorptive capacity & SaaS technology maturity perspectives, and empirically validated it. It is required to eliminate organizational impropriety by increasing both task-technology fit and the absorptive capacity in the organizational level.
본 연구는 SaaS가 갖는 기술적 특성과 SaaS 도입기관들의 업무특성을 조사한 뒤, 기술-업무 특성 간의 적합에 따른 성과들과 그들의 관계에 따라 SaaS의 지속사용도가 어떻게 향상되는지를 조사하는 것을 목표로 하였다. 이를 위하여 본 논문은 Goodhue & Thompson (1995)의 직무적합모형을 근간으로 하여 SaaS의 지속적 사용이 정보시스템의 최종 결과로서 측정되는 SaaS 성과측정모형을 제시하였다. 전략적 상황이론에 따르면 기업 외부의 기술적 요인의 변화와 기업 내부의 조직특성은 기업의 성과와 전략에 영향을 미치는 주요한 요인으로 알려져 있다. 이에 따라 본 연구는 ‘SaaS 기술 성숙도의 수준 향상도’ 와 ‘외부기술의 조직 내 흡수역량’을 각각 제안된 연구모형을 조절하는 외부적ㆍ내부적인 조절변수로 추가ㆍ선정하였다. 본 연구모형의 검증을 위하여 예비조사와 파일럿조사, 그리고 본 조사가 실시 되었다. SaaS 도입성과를 분석하기 위해 SaaS를 실제 업무에 도입하여 사용하고 있는 업체들을 대상으로 설문 조사를 실시하여 219개의 유효 표본을 얻었다. 모형 분석에 있어 AMOS를 사용하여 구조방정식으로 모형을 해석해 보았고, AMOS 분석 단계를 따라서 필요한 결과값과 측정지수를 도출하였다. 여기서 사용하는 모형 적합도 지수들을 기준으로 보았을 때 본 연구에서 제시한 모형은 전반적으로 적합하였으며, 나아가 제안된 주요 요인간의 관계도 실증적으로 검증되었다. 본 연구는 SaaS라는 혁신적 기술의 특징과 사용자 기업의 직무 특성 간 적합도와 그에 따른 성과들이 어떻게 산출되는 지를 설명하였고 이들 성과들이 성공적으로 SaaS의 지속적 사용에 영향을 미치고 있음을 보여주었다. 본 연구의 결과는 서비스 제공자의 입장에서 SaaS의 지속사용도 제고를 위한 지침으로, 고객입장에서는 SaaS 도입에 따른 성과의 향상을 위한 프레임워크를 제공하고 있다.
