International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology, Vol. 1, No. 4, October 2010 ISSN: 2010-0248 349 Abstract—Past research focused on the effect of the top management on the IT application maturity. However, little is known about the roles of the first-line and middle manager during the IT application and the effect of the first-line and middle manager on the IT application maturity. In the present study, the relationships between the first-line and middle manager IT competence, IT usage intention, and IT application maturity are analyzed. With a sample size of 650, by conducting hierarchical regression analysis with the top management support as control variable, the roles of the first-line and middle manager in the IT application and the effect of the first-line and middle manager on the IT application maturity are empirically examined. Results show that when the first-line and middle managers play the role of manager, their IT competence has significant effect on the IT application maturity, whereas when the first-line and middle managers play the role of IT user, their IT usage intention has no significant effect on the IT application maturity. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Index Terms—First-line and middle manager, IT application maturity, IT competence, IT usage intention I. INTRODUCTION Many organizations apply information technology (IT) to support planning, decision-making and communication processes. However, IT application may be inherently risky[1], as there are many IT success stories, and equally there are as many failure stories[2]. Extant research showed that people are the key resource to the successful IT application and their behaviors will affect the outcome of the IT investments[3]. If top management does not support IT implementation, there is little hope for the project. However, first-line and middle managers and other staffs will also play important roles in the IT application[4]. Previous empirical studies have focused on the effect of the top management support on the successful IT application. However, little is known about the effect of the first-line and middle managers on the successful IT application. Past research used the construct IT application maturity (ITAM) to describe the extent that IT can support the organization operation, management, and strategy. That is, This work is supported by the “National Economic Research Center” of Guangdong University of Business Studies. Manhui Huang is with the Information Science School , Guangdong University of Business Studies, Guangzhou 510320, China (corresponding author phone: 86-20-88130422; fax: 86-20-84096908; e-mail: huangmanhui@126.com). Chi-Sum Wong is with the Department of Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong (e-mail: cswong@baf.msmail.cuhk.edu.hk). ITAM can be used to describe the extent of the successful IT application [5]. As company consists of departments, it is obvious that the department ITAM will affect the company ITAM. In the IT practice field, first-line and middle managers may play the roles of departmental manager and IT user. Will the first-line and middle managers affect the department ITAM? Is the effect different if the first-line and middle managers play different roles in the IT application? Based on the competence theory and the intention theory, the current study analyzes the relationships between the first-line and middle manager IT usage intention, IT competence, and the department ITAM. By doing so, we can analyze the effect of the first-line and middle managers on the IT application, and provide empirical evidence to the roles of the first-line and middle managers in the IT application, and then give some implications for the IT application practice. II. HYPOTHESES The construct competence has been used to predict behavior in some particular jobs in the past research. In 1973, McClelland published a paper titled by “Testing for Competence Rather Than Intelligence” which has been credited or blamed for launching the competency movement in psychology. A competency is an underlying characteristic of an individual that is causally related to criterion-referenced effective and/or superior performance in a job or situation [6]. Spencer & Spencer considered that performance is behavior[6]. Performance is something that people do and is reflected in the actions that people take, and it includes only those actions or behaviors relevant to the organization's goals. It is axiomatic that job performance is not one thing. A job is a very complex activity, and there are a number of major performance components distinguishable in terms of their determinants and covariation patterns with other variables[7]. Boyatzis considered that organizations need managers to be able to reach their objectives, and they need competent managers to be able to reach these objectives both efficiently and effectively[8]. Thus, in the IT application context, it is reasonable to assume that the department ITAM is one of the first-line and middle manager performance dimensions. Campell considered that individual differences on a specific performance component can be viewed as a function of three major determinants, that is, declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge and skill, and motivation. Declarative knowledge is simply knowledge about facts and things, it represents an understanding of a given task's requirements. Procedural knowledge and skill is attained when declarative First-line and Middle Manager Competence, Usage Intention and IT Application Maturity Manhui Huang and Chi-Sum Wong