Effects of Users on Technology Adaptation: Multi-Case Studies from Morphogenetic Approach

Abstract

This study explores the user effect for technology-enabled organizational adaptation (i.e., Technology Adaptation). According to Archer's morphogenetic approach, some scholars pointed out technology adaptation could be viewed as a social construction. Technology includes particular material properties and structures. People's action may be constrained and shaped by technology structures. However, in real life, human practices constantly change along with the social and organizational context while the structures fixed within technology cannot satisfy human needs continuously. Under these circumstances, to reflect the contextual changes and human needs, users tend to trigger a series of social interactions to change the structures of technology. Thus, an interplay occurs between technology and users. From this point of view, this study applies a qualitative method to explore three case companies in the information electronics industry in Taiwan; to deepen understanding about different reactions to technology adaptation by observing what happened when these three companies adopt new ERP systems in non-identical conditions. This study attempts to answer the following questions: (1) How users affect technology adaptation? (2) How do users change the inner structures of technology? The research results show that: First, changes in technology structure can be classified into three different types. Second, the reason why users change the structure of technology is because they are conscious. Third, users play three different roles to change the technology structure. This study provides new insights into the importance of the user effect for technology adaptation and expands the application of Archer's morphogenetic approach from social systems to information systems.