Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Individual innovation adoption and the role of organizational culture

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Review of Managerial Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Technological innovations are generally considered to contribute positively to the organization, but there are gaps in our understanding of how benefits can be realized. In particular, studies of technological innovation adoption in organizations tend to focus on structural aspects of adoption and top-down, organization-wide implementation. Building on this work, we examine the relationship between organizational culture and individuals’ extent of adoption (frequency of using technology features). Using a survey of 1000 physicians in the USA, we studied the association between perceived organizational innovativeness and cohesiveness and the extent to which physicians adopt electronic health records. We found that organizational innovativeness was positively associated with individuals’ extent of adoption, and that this relationship was mediated by going to others for advice regarding the technology. Our findings were supported by interview data.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agarwal R, Prasad J (1997) The role of innovation characteristics and perceived voluntariness in the acceptance of information technologies. Decis Sci 28:557–582. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5915.1997.tb01322.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ajzen I (1991) The theory of planned behavior. Organ Behav Hum Decis Process 50:179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Khaldi MA, Olusegun Wallace RS (1999) The influence of attitudes on personal computer utilization among knowledge workers: the case of Saudi Arabia. Inf Manag 36:185–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-7206(99)00017-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson N, De Dreu CK, Nijstad BA (2004) The routinization of innovation research: a constructively critical review of the state-of-the-science. J Organ Behav 25(2):147–173

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson GF, Frogner BK, Johns RA, Reinhardt UE (2006) Health care spending and use of information technology in OECD countries. Health Aff 25:819–831. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.25.3.819

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashford SJ, Cummings LL (1985) Proactive feedback seeking: the instrumental use of the information environment. J Occup Psychol 58(1):67–79

    Google Scholar 

  • Attewell P (1992) Technology diffusion and organizational learning: the case of business computing. Organ Sci 3(1):1–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Baer M, Frese M (2003) Innovation is not enough: climates for initiative and psychological safety, process innovations, and firm performance. J Organ Behav 24(1):45–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Baer HA, Singer M, Johnsen JH (1986) Toward a critical medical anthropology. Soc Sci Med 23(2):95–98

    Google Scholar 

  • Barlow S, Johnson J, Steck J (2003) The economic effect of implementing an EMR in an outpatient clinical setting. J Healthc Inf Manag: JHIM 18(1):46–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Bates DW, Ebell M, Gotlieb E, Zapp J, Mullins HC (2003) A proposal for electronic medical records in US primary care. J Am Med Inf Assoc 10(1):1–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Bekkering E, Hutchison D (2009) A follow-up study of using remote desktop applications in education. Inf Syst Educ J 7(55):13

    Google Scholar 

  • Bentler PM (1995) EQS structural equations program manual. Encino, pp 83–100

  • Bergeron F, Raymond L, Rivard S, Gara M-F (1995) Determinants of EIS use: testing a behavioral model. Decis Support Syst 14:131–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-9236(94)00007-F

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blumenthal D, Tavenner M (2010) The “meaningful use” regulation for electronic health records. N Engl J Med 363(6):501–504

    Google Scholar 

  • Burns T, Stalker G (1994) The management of innovation. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang M-K, Cheung W, Cheng C-H, Yeung JHY (2008) Understanding ERP system adoption from the user’s perspective. Int J Prod Econ 113:928–942. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJPE.2007.08.011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chatman JA, Polzer JT, Barsade SG, Neale MA (1998) Being different yet feeling similar: the influence of demographic composition and organizational culture on work processes and outcomes. Adm Sci Q 43:749–780

    Google Scholar 

  • Cialdini RB, De Nicholas ME (1989) Self-presentation by association. J Personal Soc Psychol 57(4):626

    Google Scholar 

  • Cummings L (1965) Organizational climates for creativity. Acad Manag J 3:220–227

    Google Scholar 

  • Damanpour F, Schneider M (2006) Phases of the adoption of innovation in organizations: effects of environment, organization and top managers. B J Manag 3:215–236

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis FD (1989) Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Q 13(3):319–340

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis FD, Bagozzi RP, Warshaw PR (1989) User acceptance of computer technology: a comparison of two theoretical models. Manag Sci 35(8):982–1003

    Google Scholar 

  • Denison DR (1996) What is the difference between organizational culture and organizational climate? A native's point of view on a decade of paradigm wars. Acad Manag Rev 21(3):619–654

    Google Scholar 

  • Des Roches CM, Campbell EG, Rao SR, Donelan K, Ferris TG, Jha A, Blumenthal D (2008) Electronic health records in ambulatory care—a national survey of physicians. N Engl J Med 359(1):50–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Druian PR, DePaulo BM (1977) Asking a child for help. Soc Behav Personal Int J 5(1):33–39

    Google Scholar 

  • Edmondson A (1999) Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Adm Sci Q 44(2):350–383

    Google Scholar 

  • Edmondson AC, Bohmer RM, Pisano GP (2001) Disrupted routines: team learning and new technology implementation in hospitals. Adm Sci Q 46(4):685–716

    Google Scholar 

  • Emery CR, Summers TP, Surak JG (1996) The role of organizational climate in the implementation of total quality management. J Manag Issues 8(4):484–496

    Google Scholar 

  • Fichman RG, Kemerer CF (1997) Object technology and reuse: lessons from early adopters. Computer 30(10):47–59

    Google Scholar 

  • Fitzgerald L, Ferlie E, Wood M, Hawkins C (2002) Interlocking interactions, the diffusion of innovations in health care. Hum Relat 55(12):1429–1449

    Google Scholar 

  • Fornell C, Larcker DF (1981) Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error: algebra and Statistics. J Mark Res 18:382. https://doi.org/10.2307/3150980

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frambach RT, Schillewaert N (2002) Organizational innovation adoption: a multi-level framework of determinants and opportunities for future research. J Bus Res 55(2):163–176

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenhalgh T, Robert G, Macfarlane F, Bate P, Kyriakidou O (2004) Diffusion of innovations in service organizations: systematic review and recommendations. Milbank Q 82(4):581–629

    Google Scholar 

  • Hebert M, Benbasat I (1994) Adopting information technology in hospitals: the relationship between attitudes/expectations and behavior. J Healthc Manag 39(3):369

    Google Scholar 

  • Heisey-Grove D, V Patel (2015) Any, certified, or basic: quantifying physician EHR adoption. ONC Data Brief, no. 28. Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology: Washington DC

  • Howell JM, Boies K (2004) Champions of technological innovation: the influence of contextual knowledge, role orientation, idea generation, and idea promotion on champion emergence. Leadersh Q 15:123–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.LEAQUA.2003.12.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurley RF, Hult GTM (1998) Innovation, market orientation, and organizational learning: an integration and empirical examination. J Mark, 42–54

  • Igbaria M, Guimaraes T, Davis GB (1995) Testing the determinants of microcomputer usage via a structural equation model. J Manag Inf Syst 11(4):87–114

    Google Scholar 

  • Ilie V, Van Slyke C, Parikh MA, Courtney JF (2009) Paper versus electronic medical records: the effects of access on physicians’ decisions to use complex information technologies. Decis Sci 40:213–241. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5915.2009.00227.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jeyaraj A, Rottman JW, Lacity MC (2006) A review of the predictors, linkages, and biases in IT innovation adoption research. J Inf Technol 21:1–23. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jit.2000056

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ke W, Wei KK (2008) Organizational culture and leadership in ERP implementation. Decis Support Syst 45:208–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.DSS.2007.02.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kitchell S (1995) Corporate culture, environmental adaptation, and innovation adoption: a qualitative/quantitative approach. J Acad Mark Sci 23:195–205. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070395233004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein KJ, Sorra JS (1996) The challenge of innovation implementation. Acad Manag Rev 21(4):1055–1080

    Google Scholar 

  • Kline RB (2011) Principles and practice of structural equation modeling, 3rd edn. Guilford press, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Kraut RE, Rice RE, Cool C, Fish RS (1998) Varieties of social influence: the role of utility and norms in the success of a new communication medium. Organ Sci 9(4):437–453

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee F (1997) When the going gets tough, do the tough ask for help? Help seeking and power motivation in organizations. Organ Behav Hum Decis Process 72(3):336–363

    Google Scholar 

  • Leonard-Barton D, Deschamps I (1988) Managerial influence in the implementation of new technology. Manag Sci 34(10):1252–1265

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang DW, Moreland R, Argote L (1995) Group versus individual training and group performance: the mediating role of transactive memory. Personal Soc Psychol Bull 21(4):384–393

    Google Scholar 

  • Markham SK, Griffin A (1998) The breakfast of champions: associations between champions and product development environments, practices and performance. J Product Innov Manag 15(5):436–454

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyer AD, Goes JB (1988) Organizational assimilation of innovations: a multilevel contextual analysis. Acad Manag J 31(4):897–923

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller RH, Sim I (2004) Physicians’ use of electronic medical records: barriers and solutions. Health Aff 23(2):116–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Mirvis PH, Sales AL, Hackett EJ (1991) The implementation and adoption of new technology in organizations: the impact on work, people, and culture. Hum Resour Manag 30(1):113–139

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore GC, Benbasat I (1991) Development of an Instrument to Measure the Perceptions of Adopting an Information Technology Innovation. Inf Syst Res 2:192–222. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2.3.192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy GF, Hanken MA, Amatayakul M (1999) EHR vision, definition, and characteristics. In: Murphy GF, Hanken MA, Waters KA (eds) Electronic health records: changing the vision. Saunders, Philadelphia, PA, pp 3–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Muthén LK, Muthén BO (1998–2018) Mplus user's guide, 8th edn. Muthén & Muthén, Los Angeles, CA

  • O’Reilly C (1989) Corporations, culture, and commitment: motivation and social control in organizations. California Manag Rev 31(4):9–25

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Reilly CA, Chatman J, Caldwell DF (1991) People and organizational culture: a profile comparison approach to assessing person-organization fit. Acad Manag J 34(3):487–516

    Google Scholar 

  • Patton MQ (2002) Qualitative research and evaluation methods, 3rd edn. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Plouffe CR, Hulland JS, Vandenbosch M (2001) Richness versus parsimony in modeling technology adoption decisions—understanding merchant adoption of a smart card-based payment system. Inf Syst Res 12(2):208–222

    Google Scholar 

  • Ravichandran T (2000) Swiftness and intensity of administrative innovation adoption: an empirical study of TQM in information systems. Decision Sci 31(3):691–724

    Google Scholar 

  • Rice RE, Grant AE, Schmitz J, Torobin J (1990) Individual and network influences on the adoption and perceived outcomes of electronic messaging. Soc Netw 12(1):27–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Salancik GR, Pfeffer J (1977) An examination of need-satisfaction models of job attitudes. Adm Sci Q 22(3):427–456

    Google Scholar 

  • Saporito B (2005) The e-health revolution. Time 165(26):55

    Google Scholar 

  • Schein EH (1985) Organisational culture and leadership: a dynamic view. Jossey Bass, San Francisco, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Schillewaert N, Ahearne MJ, Frambach RT, Moenaert RK (2005) The adoption of information technology in the sales force. Ind Mark Manag 34:323–336. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.INDMARMAN.2004.09.013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott SG, Bruce RA (1994) Determinants of innovative behavior: a path model of individual innovation in the workplace. Acad Manag J 37(3):580–607

    Google Scholar 

  • Seashore SE (1954) Group cohesiveness in the industrial work group

  • Seashore SE (1977) Group cohesiveness in the industrial work group, vol 14. Institute for Social Research, Survey Research Center, Arno Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson VA (1965) Bureaucracy and innovation. Adm Sci Q 10(1):1–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson RL, Higgins CA, Howell JM (1991) Personal computing: toward a conceptual model of utilization. MIS Q 15(1):125–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson RL, Higgins CA, Howell JM (1994) Influence of experience on personal computer utilization: testing a conceptual model. J Manag Inf Syst 11:167–187. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.1994.11518035

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Triandis HC (1980) Values, attitudes, and interpersonal behavior. In HE Howe, Jr. and M Page (Eds.), Nebraska Symposium on Motivation (Vol. 27, pp. 195–259). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press

  • Venkatesh V, Davis FD (2000) A theoretical extension of the technology acceptance model: four longitudinal field studies. Manage Sci 46:186–204. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.46.2.186.11926

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Ranjay Gulati for his guidance in conducting this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sport Management, University of Michigan, 1402 Washington Heights #3152, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2013, USA

    Kathryn L. Heinze

  2. School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, SPH I, Rm 3703, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2029, USA

    Justin E. Heinze

Authors
  1. Kathryn L. Heinze
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Justin E. Heinze
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kathryn L. Heinze.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Heinze, K.L., Heinze, J.E. Individual innovation adoption and the role of organizational culture. Rev Manag Sci 14, 561–586 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-018-0300-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-018-0300-5

Keywords

Mathematics Subject Classifcation

Search

Navigation