Attention-shaping tools, expertise, and perceived control in IT project risk assessment

This study investigates the use of attention-shaping tools and their interactions with expertise and perceptions of control on individual decision-making about risks in IT projects. The paper uses data collected from 118 IT project experts and 140 novices through a role-playing experiment to provide several novel insights into how these three factors independently and collectively influence perception of risks and subsequent project continuation decisions. First, attention-shaping tools have a significant effect on both risk perception and decision-making. However, among individuals with low expertise, risk shaping tools exhibit a significant but dual-sided effect on risk perception. They help identify risks captured by the attention-shaping tool but simultaneously introduce blind spots in their risk awareness. Second, while individuals with greater expertise perceive significantly higher levels of risks relative to those with lower expertise, the level of expertise had generally no influence on decision-making. Third, we found that perceived control is a powerful factor influencing both risk perception and decision-making. Implications for research and practice are discussed along with potential avenues for future research. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.