Who needs the help desk? Tackling one's own technological problem via self IT service

Individuals are becoming more technologically savvy and self-sufficient, often transferring what they have learned in the personal realm of apps and chats into the organizational realm. Self information technology (IT) service, or an employees' attempts to solve their technological problem without first seeking the assistance of the IT department personnel, is a phenomenon that has been witnessed for a while but has not yet achieved sufficient theoretical scrutiny. Grounded in qualitative data collected from IT department personnel, an initial theory of self IT service is presented that denotes self IT service as a distinct concept with its own set of drivers and effects. Our study not only informs and expands existing conceptualizations of IT service, but also provides insights for researchers and organizations on how to harness the self IT service phenomenon for their advantage.