Innovation adoption of EDI

Abstract

Innovation has become not only the domain of a few progressive enterprises but the key to survival and success of the many. Innovative changes in management practices can assist in ensuring survival in an increasingly competitive world. The management systems in place are critical to exploiting technological, process, and product innovations. This empirical study of 379 organizations compares organizations in various stages of adoption. An administrative innovation approach is used in order to examine the internal effects of adoption. Specific issues evaluated are the effects on users regarding satisfaction with training, involvement and participation and the MIS/User interface. Nonadopters are found to lack accurate information regarding the costs and standards of EDI. Management attitude is found to increase in importance across the adoption stages. In comparing early and late adopters, significant differences are found particularly regarding information output, participation and involvement. Timing difficulties are found not to relate to product factors but to user issues. The study provides recommendations for overcoming these difficulties and evaluates the administrative innovation approach to investigating systems adoption.