I'd like to appeal to the group for help. I've been employed by a major
national laboratory in the United States for over fifteen years working
with a variety of technical innovations. I've observed over that time
that even technically sound and seemingly needed innovations often fail
when introduced into their targeted workgroups. Wondering why this was so
started me down a path that led to completing an undergraduate degree in
Psychology and entering a Master's program in Organizational Development
at the University of San Francisco (also to finding this group :-).
Here's where I need some help. My thesis research concerns the factors
that lead an individual to accept or reject a technical innovation in the
workplace. The most accepted work to date seems to be that of Fred Davis
and his Technology Acceptance Model(TAM). He has identified 'Ease of Use'
and 'Perceived Usefulness' as the two factors most predictive of an
individuals willingness to adopt a technical innovation. My research
seeks to explore the correlation between those variables and what my
literature research has convinced me is a significant antecedent, that of
Occupational Stress. I have two validated instruments that I wish to
administer to one or more groups who are being asked to adopt a
technological innovation such as Lotus Notes, email, or any other computer
based process. My hypothesis is that I will find a significant negative
correlation between stress levels and scores on the TAM.
Here's my problem. I'm having a heck of a time finding a group to study.
If anyone out there is either involved with such a group or could arrange
an introduction, I'd be most appreciative.
I've tried to keep this post short, but I'd be very happy to discuss my
research and hypothesis in more depth in this group if there is any
interest. I don't feel that there is a simple causal relationship between
stress and adoption, rather it's in the form of a system reinforcing loop
in which the technical innovation triggers some resistance, which might be
a function of general stress level, that resistance leads to more stress
which then increases the resistance and down the spiral we go.
Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Ed Rosch
Earosch@home.com
--Ed Rosch <earosch@home.com>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>