Key antecedents of Executive Information System success: a path analytic approach

Over the past decade, a number of firms have been developing Executive Information Systems (EIS) to support their executives and managers. This paper draws upon the existing literature in EIS to explain key factors affecting EIS success. The study uses data collected from sixty-nine firms to examine the relationships between top management support, IS support, vendor/consultant support, and EIS success. A structural equation model is proposed to assess the relationships among these constructs. EQS is employed to empirically test the theoretical model and hypothesized relationships. The results indicate that IS support in EIS efforts is directly related to EIS success and that both IS support and vendor/consultant support in EIS efforts an influenced by top management support. No direct links between vendor/consultant support and EIS success, and between top management support and EIS success were found. However, high levels of top management support indirectly influence EIS success by creating a supportive context for the IS organization and vendors/consultant undertakings in a firm's EIS efforts. Implications of these findings for practitioners and researchers are outlined. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.