Since the 1980s, Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) technologies have been developed and increasingly utilized to ensure digital collaboration of employees within and between organizations. The need for ways to work remotely and time-independently across various countries requires the implementation of digital collaboration tools now more than ever. Besides, the global Corona pandemic required a quick and efficient response of companies worldwide which served as a ”digitalization booster” regarding digital and remote working. Yet, the employees’ missing acceptance and corresponding resistance towards using these tools represents a substantial obstacle for organizations. Hence, employers need to consider which implementation measures are effective in securing acceptance and successful adaptation of novel technologies.
Research goal
Throughout their research Janine Burmeister, Carsten Schmidt, and Patrick Müller aimed at identifying relevant success factors and potential barriers, which can be controlled by companies, when introducing MS Teams. According to this goal, an acceptance model was introduced based on common technology acceptance models simultaneously considering special characteristics of CSCW.
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Research overview
A questionnaire was created including 51 items to be evaluated on a 5-point Likert scale by respondents based on a reduced Technology Acceptance Model (TAM, Davis and Venkatesh, 1996). The final data set included answers of 445 employees at a large German applied research organization of which 32% were between 31 and 40 years old followed by the age group of 20 to 30-year-olds (27%). Respondents worked at different levels and subsidiaries throughout the organization.
Main findings
- The research model explains 67% variance in regard to the intention to use MS Teams, but solely 36 % of the actual usage of the tool.
- Peer support showed a weak but positive influence on perceived usefulness.
- A positive moderate effect was found between job relevance and perceived usefulness which represents a larger effect than previous TAM studies found (Venkatesh & Bala 2008).
- User support and transparent user information had a positive effect on perceived ease of use.
- A weak negative effect was found between concerns about data security and perceived usefulness, which represents a barrier.
- There was no significant influence of direct or top management support on technology acceptance and usage which aligns with previous research (Kohnke, 2015); the non-significant influence of direct management, however, does not.
Conclusion
This study determined factors which may impact the (un)successful introduction of digital collaboration tools. Especially the factors peer support, job relevance, user support, user information, and concerns about data security should be addressed by employers, according to the study results. Yet, specific circumstances need to be considered, when introducing novel technologies. For instance, the Corona pandemic likely impacted the employees’ perspective on job relevance. Furthermore, the timing of such study determines how many people have actually used the collaboration tool and for how long which impacts, for instance, the possible peer support. In this case, the structure of the organization, which requires its separate institutions and most employees to work independently on external projects, also plays role. Ultimately, when implementing new collaboration tools throughout this particular organization, data security concerns should be addressed beforehand. Furthermore, especially during and after the implementation, employees should receive sufficient information enabling them to set-up and utilize the tool, while user support, for example through a phone hotline, should be available. Setting up a network, e.g., via an intranet channel to facilitate peer support could complement a successful collaboration tool implementation.
References
Davis, F. D. & Venkatesh, V. (1996). A critical assessment of potential measurement biases in the technology acceptance model: three experiments. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 45(1), 19–45. https://doi.org/10.1006/ijhc.1996.0040
Kohnke, O. (2015). Anwenderakzeptanz unternehmensweiter Standardsoftware. Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-08206-2
Venkatesh, V. & Bala, H. (2008). Technology Acceptance Model 3 and a Research Agenda on Interventions. Decision Sciences, 39(2), 273–315. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5915.2008.00192.x
