Individual Technology Acceptance Under Conditions of Change

Information technology is changing rapidly. However, existing technology acceptance models do not consider the impact of changes on individual acceptance of information technology. This paper introduces the construct of technology change and integrates current technology acceptance models with social psychology theories of attitude change to propose a theory of technology acceptance under conditions of change. Beginning with a review of current technology acceptance models, this paper considers how they implicitly deal with IT change. A conceptualization of technology change focused on rate, magnitude, and distribution of change is then presented. Finally, a three-stage theoretical model of how technology change affects acceptance through individual attitudes and beliefs is presented. The core of the model focuses on the processes of forming attitudes and beliefs about technology change, changing attitudes and beliefs about the technology, and technology acceptance decision making. These processes are expected to be moderated by the visibility, relevance, and compatibility of the changes. This model, by integrating the reality of technology change with extensive research on technology acceptance, extends our understanding of the complex interplay between technology and people in dynamic, evolving information systems.