Practical and value compatibility: their roles in the adoption, diffusion, and success of telecommuting

Innovation literature has long advocated that an innovation may be compatible or incompatible with an organization’s existing systems or resources (Rogers 1983). Compatibility of an innovation has traditionally meant that the innovation is compatible with the existing values, skills, and work practices of potential adopters. However, Tornatzky and Klein (1982) criticized this multi-faceted definition of compatibility as too broad, noting that compatibility may refer to compatibility with the values or norms of potential adopters (value compatibility) or it may represent congruence with existing practices of the adopters (practical compatibility). Much anecdotal evidence exists that employee telecommuting may be incompatible with both value and practical compatibility. Therefore, this study investigates compatibility and its relationship to telecommuting’s adoption, diffusion and success among IS personnel. The organization’s ability to secure telecommuting (a dimension of practical compatibility) was found to be a major facilitator of the adoption and diffusion of telecommuting. Group values were found to be major facilitators of diffusion and success, and practical compatibility was found to be a facilitator of success. Implications for research and management are discussed.