The Impact of Social Structures on Information
Technology Infusion: Investigation of Alternative
Individual Appropriation Moves

ABSTRACT

Organizations are increasingly acquiring information technology (IT) to be used for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of their organizational work processes. Individual members of the organization often face ambiguity with respect to how the functions and features of these technologies should be applied to individual and organizational work. These individuals turn to other sources of information as they seek to interpret and understand how to best use the technologies. The social influence received from coworkers represents one source of information from which an individual may draw interpretations about a work technology.

Although social influence is recognized as an important determinant of individual IT use and infusion, relatively little is known about how this influence unfolds. Individuals make appropriation moves by drawing upon various social sources for guidance in using the functions and features of IT. How do different appropriation moves influence individual infusion dynamics? This research proposes a model containing three different social appropriation moves. Each appropriation move represents a mode through which an individual responds to social influence and varies in terms of its direct and indirect influence on infusion through mediating antecedents of individual IT beliefs, individual IT knowledge, and reconceptualization of work processes. The model is empirically tested in the context of a public accounting firm that has adopted a complex audit workflow technology. Logistic regression techniques are used to analyze data collected through a combination of structured interviews and survey questionnaires. The data are used to examine auditors’ usage behaviors in the context of their peer work groups.

The results of the study suggest that individuals use three different modes to respond to the influences from their peers with respect to using IT in their work. In a conformance mode, the individual uses the technology in a manner which is consistent with an evolved norm. In an imitation mode, individuals mimic or copy the usage behavior of their coworker peers. In a mutual discovery mode, individuals collaborate with respect to the best way to use a particular IT capability in their work.