The Role of Workplace Values, Climate, and Technology Perceptions on Technology Use Patricia Holahan Kai Wang

Unpleasant Truth Technological change initiatives continue to experience a failure rate approaching 70%... (Standish 2009, IBM 2008, Raps 2004, Beer 2003, HBR 2000, Senge 1999, Strebel 1996, Kotter 1995) Research has shown that the top 10 reasons why technology projects fail have nothing to do with the technology itself; it has to do with the people and implementation processes. “Good idea…failed implementation”

Voluntary Technology Adoption – What we know Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis 1989) Perceived Usefulness (PU) Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) Attitude Toward Technology Usage Intention to Use Actual Technology Use (Behavior)

Construct Definitions Perceived usefulness – extent to which the technology is perceived to be better than prior practice (e.g. 4S iPhone). Perceived ease of use – extent to which the technology is perceived as easy to master and use.

Technology Implementation in Organizations Two stages 1 st Stage - Adoption by organization 2 nd Stage – Adoption/Actual usage by targeted users Contingent authority adoption decision (CAAD) TAM is not sufficient Developed for voluntary adoption No practical advice for managers

Example photo layout Compatibility w/ Workplace Value 1 Compatibility w/ Workplace Value 2 Individual Attributes Implementation climate Organizational Attributes Perceived Usefulness Perceived Ease of Use Consistency of use Quality of use Technology Use Task-Technology Attributes Compatibility w/ Existing Work Processes H1 H2 H4 H3 Research Model

Construct Definitions Compatibility w/ Workplace Values – extent to which technology use will foster the fulfillment of important workplace values. Implementation Climate – extent to which technology use is expected, supported, rewarded.

Construct Definitions Compatibility w/ Existing Work Processes – extent to which the technology is perceived as consistent with current workflow processes or practices. Or, extent to which current workflow processes will remain unchanged.

Example photo layout Compatibility w/ Workplace Value Individual Attributes Implementation climate Organizational Attributes Perceived Usefulness Perceived Ease of Use Consistency of use Quality of use Technology Use Task-Technology Attributes Compatibility w/ Existing Work Processes H1 H2a H4 H3a Research Hypotheses 1-4 H2b, H3b

Research Hypotheses 5-6 H5. High Consistency Low Quality of Use H6. High Consistency High Quality of Use Climate Weak Strong Value Compatibility High Low

Hypotheses H1: Perceived usefulness will fully mediate the effect of values compatibility on implementation effectiveness. H2a,b: Perceived usefulness will partially mediate the effect of climate for implementation on implementation effectiveness. H3a,b: Perceived ease of use will partially mediate the effect of climate for implementation on implementation effectiveness.

Hypotheses H4: Perceived ease of use will partially mediate the effect of compatibility with work processes on implementation effectiveness. H5: When the implementation climate is strong, but the technology is not congruent with the user’s workplace values, consistency of technology use will be high, but quality of technology use will be low. H6: When the implementation climate is strong and the technology is perceived to be congruent with the user’s workplace values, consistency and quality of technology use will be high.

The Innovation Under Study Medical errors associated with medications account for a substantial portion of preventable medical errors. In 2008, 1.9 million people became ill or injured from medication errors (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality). A new healthcare information technology (HIT) was designed to: – collect an accurate history of medication adherence and – facilitate medication reconciliation by the primary care provider

Research Methods Research Site - a large healthcare organization Primary care division alone manages 40,000 patients and completes an estimated 85,000 outpatient visits per year Survey given to 111 primary care providers and residents 91 responded 53 had access to the HIT

Research Results H1 supported H2 supported H3 supported H4 partially supported: full mediation H5 and H6: supported

Example photo layout Compatibility w/ Workplace Value Individual Attributes Implementation climate Organizational Attributes Perceived Usefulness Perceived Ease of Use Consistency of use Quality of use Technology Use Task-Technology Attributes Compatibility w/ Existing Work Processes H1 H2a H4 H3a Research Hypotheses H2b, H3b

Discussion Technology perceptions – predicted technology use. ease of use (PEOU) usefulness (PU) Determinants of PU and PEOU variables Compatibility with workplace values Implementation climate Compatibility with work processes

Discussion The effect of values compatibility on technology use was fully mediated by perceived usefulness. Suggests workplace values exert a strong influence on how useful a technology is perceived to be. The effect of work process compatibility on technology use was fully mediated by perceived ease of use. Suggests work process compatibility exerts a strong influence on perceptions of how easy a new technology is to use.

Discussion Climate influenced perceptions of usefulness and ease of use. Suggests users’ perceptions of a new technology can be influenced by a strong implementation climate. Differential effects of values compatibility and climate on technology use. A strong climate predicted consistency of use, but not quality of use. Quality of use was found to be a function of climate as well as values compatibility.

Practical Implications Understand workplace values from the employees’ perspective. (Useful input to technology development.) Stress technology’s compatibility with workplace values when appropriate. Create strong implementation climates – Climate construct is a perceptual variable. – Seek feedback on strength of climate.

Practical Implications New technologies that involve only incremental change in work processes are more readily accepted. – Consider phased or modular implementation if possible. – Strong implementation climates can have an impact on perceived ease of use.