A19. Manross,
G. & Rice, R.E. (1986). Don't hang up: Organizational diffusion of
the intelligent telephone. Information and Management, 10(3),
161-175.
This paper analyzes an effort to introduce an "intelligent" or
"enhanced"
PBS telephone system at two separate office complexes within the same
Fortune
500 firm. The effort to diffuse this communication technology
officially
succeeded at the one site and failed at the other site.
This paradox presented an opportunity to study both successful
and
unsuccessful implementation of a new communications technology within a
single organization. It also provided and opportunity to test the
adequacy
of traditional diffusion theory for explaining the rejection of
an innovation. In particular, diffusion theory does not emphasize
political
or symbolic forces in organizations, or the disjuncture between the
organization
and the end user as adopters. Results from the case study
interviews
and multivariate analyses suggest the following:
-
The attributes of the innovation did not discriminate between
the success
and failure building, or among the number of system functions used.
-
The number of enhanced telephone functions used (as measure of
level
of adoption) is very slightly associated in the success building with
increased
phone traffic and usefulness, but is not associated in the failure
building
with any perceived impacts.
-
Technical factors interacted with political factors in
preventing a
successful adoption.
-
The relationships of attitudes and use of the telephone to
perceive
impacts and number of functions used differed by organizational role -
management, technical staff, and administrative personnel.
-
Criteria for success and failure may differ at the
organizational level
and at the user level.
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