Accommodating Differences in the Uniformity and Stability of Information Systems Artifacts

A considerable body of prior literature has examined the adoption and use of a wide variety of information systems artifacts by individuals in organizations. Studies have used both cross-sectional and longitudinal research designs to gather data regarding adoption and use from individuals, either from one organization or pooled from multiple organizations. Two common assumptions are prevalent in this research on adoption and use. Information systems artifacts are generally assumed to be uniform across individuals and organizations as well as stable over time. Despite the insights gained from this literature, these assumptions may not be descriptive of real-world organizational settings due to three factors: innovation extensibility, individual behaviors, and organization routines. Moreover, the lack of attention to the differences in uniformity and stability may limit our understanding of information systems adoption and use. Future studies should explicitly consider the differences in the uniformity and stability of the artifacts in theorizing information systems adoption and use.