Internal stakeholder resistance to technology. The case of the adoption of an online catalogue and website renewal by The Hilti Company in The Netherlands
Marthe Breure
Student number: 6063101 Erasmusgracht 235 1061 BM Amsterdam magbreure@gmail.com
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Thesis supervisor: Mr. A.E. Kourula Second reader: Mr. E. Dirksen
Master Thesis Business Administration Strategy 29-06-2015
2 Statement of Originality
This document is written by Student Marthe Breure, who declares to take full responsibility for the contents of this document. I declare that the text and the work presented in this document is original and that no sources other than those mentioned in the text and its references have been used in creating it.
The Faculty of Economics and Business is responsible solely for the supervision of completion of the work, not for the contents.
3 Abstract
This in-depth case study uses the UTAUT (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology) model of Venkatesh, Morris, Davis and Davis (2003) to investigate the
acceptance and use of ICT (Internet and Communication technology) of internal stakeholders at The Hilti Corporation in the Netherlands. The case of the Hilti Corporation considers a top-down initiated replacement of the paper product catalogue by a digital combined with a revised online strategy for the website at an international construction company.
The current study employed a mixed-method of semi-structured interviews analyzed in Nvivo for recurring concepts, an online survey (N=64) and additional data from the yearly corporate Global Employee opinion Survey (GEOS) (N=136). This study suggests new areas of research based on new insights into the theory with empirical evidence using in-depth interviews.
4 Contents
1 . Introduction 5
2. Literature Review 7
2.1 The Increased Use of ICT 7
2.2 Digital Organizational Change 10
2.3 The Impact of the Social Environment on Change 12
2.4 Models of Use and Acceptance of Technology 16
3. Methodology 24
3.1 The Hilti Case 24
3.2 Research Design 26
3.3 Sampling 26
3.4.1 Data gathering Nvivo 27
3.4.2 Data gathering GEOS and Online Surveys 28
3.5.1. Data analysis Nvivo 30
3.5.2. Data analysis GEOS and online survey 31
3.6 Limitations and Quality 31
4. Empirical findings 34 4.1 Perceived Performance 34 4.2 Perceived Effort 38 4.3 Social Influence 43 4.4 Facilitating conditions 47 4.5 Behavioral Intent 51 4.6 Use of technology 56 4.7 Age 51 4.8 Voluntariness 53 5. Discussion 54 6. Conclusion 60 References 63 Appendices 68
5 1 . Introduction
“I think people may lose the connection with society because of the technological development. Most of the day to day tasks can be done or have to be done online. This is such
a big change in such a short timeframe that those people fall into a gap and cannot connect to society anymore. The internalizing of digitalization in everyday life excludes people of
society that do not adapt technology.” (Hilti sales employee, 03-2015)
Our life has changed since the universal access to Internet and Communications Technology (ICT); also the way we do business. The digital revolution influenced the reach of businesses by changing the costs as well as the reach of communication and information sharing.
(Damanpour, 1991; Delacroix & Swaminathan, 1991). Increasingly, firms need to adopt ICT in the workspace (digitalization), to maintain the day-to-day tasks (McKenney, 1995).
This organizational change influences stakeholders (Biedenbacha & Soumlderholma, 2008). These stakeholders, for instance employees, will only accept the technology if they find the technology useful or easy to use. Stakeholder theory states that, if the stakeholders perceive their stake to be negatively influenced, they will resist the change and reject the technology (Kaptein & van Tulder, 2003: 204).
Not only could the stakeholder rejection of technology harm the process of change. Moreover, resistance to change often results in battles between the forces for and against the organizational change. The implementation and use of ICT and other technologies are crucial for the continual performance of the firm (Alonso, Verdun, & Caro, 2010). Resistance to change will cause the technology implementation to be slower, more expensive and likely to fail (Lin, Vassar & Clark, 1993). Companies that implement change quickly and successfully report much greater employee commitment to initiatives, smaller productivity fluctuations during implementation and significantly shorter implementation timelines (Recardo, 1995: 6).
With the rapid development of technology and the difficulty that businesses
experience when implementing technology, the need to understand the acceptance and use of new technology has never been greater (Venkatesh et al., 2008). For example, the failed technology implementation of SAP's R/3 Enterprise resource planning software troubled Hershey Foods around 2000. The new order-taking and distribution computer system could not handle Hershey's operations during the Halloween season, failing to deliver amount of
6 Hershey`s kisses worth 100 million dollars and caused the stock to dip 8 percent (Wailgum, 2009)1.
The widespread struggle with technology implementation problems has triggered research in the area of technology use and acceptance. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh, Morris, Davis & Davis, 2003) is often used to explain technology use and acceptance. This model gives an unified theory of acceptance and use of technology by incorporating the extensions of other researchers.
Although many researchers have added to this model through quantitative research, this study intents to broaden the model by applying UTAUT with mixed-methods to a case study. In order to give a new point of view to a topic traditionally only explored though quantitative research, 12 in-depth interviews were conducted.
The main question of this thesis is; What are the factors that influence ICT adoption in a company? Using a literature review on organizational change, stakeholder resistance, tension and the differences between the multiple technology use and acceptance models this study will argue that social influence is of heightened importance in the model of UTAUT.
The theories will be put into practice with a case at the Hilti Corporation in The Netherlands. The Hilti Corporation is a multinational but this thesis concerns itself only with Hilti Corporation and their employees in the Netherlands.
Hilti wants to replace the yearly paper product-catalogue with a website with a search function and product-catalogue. Hilti wants to know if their internal stakeholder (employee's) intent to use the digital catalogue and use the current website. This study will answer their question by researching the acceptance and use of the website Hilti online (HOL) and the behavioral intent of the online catalogue by the employees of Hilti by using the UTAUT model.
The findings will be underpinned with a literature review. Next, the case and methodology of this study will be explained. Finally the empirical findings will be reported and discussed, followed by suggestions for further research.
1 Wailgum, T. (24-03-2009). ‘10 Famous ERP Disasters, Dustups and Disappointments’. Accessed at: 27-06-2015. Retrieved from: http://www.cio.com/article/2429865/enterprise-resource-planning/10-famous-erp-disasters--dustups-and-disappointments.html
7 2. Literature Review
New technology, specifically information technology, shapes, how, when, and where people do business. The possibilities of information and communication of ICT influence many of the day-to-day tasks of an organization (McKenney, 1995). The first chapter of the literature review; The Increased Use of ICT, will explain the influence of the increased existence of computer technology and the use of ICT for businesses. After the importance of technology and ICT implementation for firms is established, the next chapter, Digital Organizational Change, will elucidate some theories concerning the drivers for (digital) organizational change and the different changes. In light of the impact of a change on the people depended on the company, different theories concerning stakeholder management during technology implementation will be discussed in The Impact of the Social Environment on Change. Lastly, in Models of Use and Acceptance of Technology, the different models for the acceptance and use of technology implementations are discussed.
2.1 The Increased Use of ICT
The change from analog to digital technology which began around 1958 to 1980s with the adoption and use of computers that continues to increase to the present, is called the digital revolution (UCSD, 2008). Although the desktop computer exist since the 1970, the mass access to internet became possible in 1991 and increased the use, advancement and popularity of computer technology and their software. The widespread influence of information
technology is important for several reasons.
The computer technology user has internet at his or her fingertips; everybody with a smartphone2 can do a quick Google search and be provided with access to information almost instantly. Figure 1 gives the evolution of a set of e-commerce variables averaged across countries and industries. As can be seen, the amount of firm with internet keeps
increasing and the amount of firms with fast internet is growing even faster. On 1th July 2014 there were three billion internet users in the world and this continues to grow yearly with 7,9%. This means that the number of internet users of the world population has increased tenfold from 1999 to 2013 and 40% of the world population has access to internet (Internet Live Stats, 01-07-2014)3. By the end of 2013 access to computer technology was as followed;
2
Smartphones. 2015. Merriam-Webster.com. Accessed: 20-01-2015. Retrieved from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smartphones
3
Internet Live Stats. 2014. ‘Internet Users’. Accessed 01-04-2015. Retrieved from: http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users/
8 6% an tablet, 22% a smartphone and 20% of the world population owned a desktop
computer. There were two smartphones for every nine people on earth in 2013. That is an increase of 1.3 billion smartphones in four years. Tablets penetrate the market even faster and reached 6% in only two years (Heggestijn, 2013).
The access to internet has increased the amount of online sales. Figure 2 shows the development over time across different European countries, of sales or purchases through electronic means for medium-large firms (50 to 249 persons employed) in the Distribution sector. The amount of e-sales and purchases is increasing together with the access to internet by firms. The speed and portability of technology improved access and reduced the time to receive information. The increased speed and access has led to a more flexible and responsive work environment (Global Guru, 2009) and allows firms to react quicker on market demands (Simon, 2010). The adoption of new technology can improve environmental fit and efficiency (Lin, Vassar, & Clark, 1993; Hameed & Counsell, 2012; Alonso, Verdun & Caro, 2010).
Figure 1: Evolution of ICT usage variables between firms (Total economy averages across European countries, 1999-2009. (Eurostat, 20144)
4
Eurostat. 2014. Evolution of ICT usage variables in Europe. Accessed: 05-06-2015. Retrieved from:
9 .
Figure 2: Development of sum of e-sales and e-purchases (ecpt) over years by European country, 2000-2009. ( Eurostat, 2014 5)
Furthermore, technology encourages a more global environment by linking firms, employees and customers. For instance, the use of social media of KLM to
communicate with customers about airplane delays or deal with complaints (McKenney, 1995). Language and location are no longer a barrier for communication. Computer
technology creates an environment where global real time communication is possible (Global Guru, 2009).
Distance has become a relative concept thanks to technology. There are multiple communication channels between different (groups of) people and/or organizations (Stevens, Williams & Smith, 2000) without the boundary of location or language. As a result, there are global market interactions between firms, customers or other groups of people that previously could not connect. These global market interactions connect firms and customers directly, shortening the lines of exchange by removing the man in the middle (McKenney, 1995) Therefore, technology allows companies to reach a larger market (Lin et al., 1993).
The larger market reach conjointly increases the competition. The reach of every business increases, including your competitors. This could challenge firms to stay innovative and raise the firm's performance (Hameed & Counsell, 2012). Raising innovation and
5 Eurostat. 2014. Statistics explained; Development of sum of e-sales and e-purchases.
Accessed 05-06-2015. Retrieved from: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Archive:Impact_of_ICT_usage
10 performance, could be accomplished by using information technology to attune to market demands and increase environmental fit. If firms want to keep up with the developments in information technology and successfully implement these technologies in their work processes, their employees have to use and accept these technologies (McKenney, 1995).
The large impact of technology on firms and the way of doing business warrants a better understanding on the adoption of technology within firms. Organizations that cannot keep up with the increasing fast pace of technological developments have trouble with firm performance and retaining their market share (Hameed & Counsell, 2012). Many
organizations struggle with the implementation of new technologies within the firm (Venkatesh et al., 2008).
As stated before, the investment of money is not enough for a successful
implementation of a technology throughout the firm. Many firms invest in a technology implementation without considering the acceptance and use of the users of this technology; the employees. As the rapid technological innovations continue, we have to increase the understanding of the process of digital organizational change and the acceptance and use of technology in firms.
2.2 Digital Organizational Change
If businesses want to keep their position in the market or expand, they have to adapt to a continuously changing environment (Biedenbacha & Soumlderholma, 2008). Changes are an inevitable part of the current market (Burgelman, 1991). Companies cope with a continuously changing environment by adopting an agile or learning organization. Even if a business tries to cope with change and to constantly evolve, the success of the implementation of change is a big determinant of its short‐ , and long‐term success. Considering that research suggests that “failed organizational change initiatives range from one‐third to as high as 80% of attempted change efforts” (Appelbaum et al., 2012: 768), many researchers tried to close the knowledge gap.
Hannan and Freeman (1984) distinguish three views on the origin of change within the business structure: Population ecology theory (PET). PET states that “most of the
variability in organizational structures comes about through the creation of new organizations and organizational forms and the replacement of old ones “ (1984: 149). A second view, called rational adaptation theory (RAT), argues that “organizational variability reflects designed changes in strategy and structure of individual organizations in response to
11 environmental changes, threats, and opportunities” (1984: 150). The third view, also called random transformation theory (RTT), believes that “organizations change their structures mainly in response to endogenous processes, but that such changes are only loosely coupled with the desires of organizational leaders and with the demands and threats of environments” (Hannan & Freeman, 1984: 150).
Within those origins of change there are two different paths possible to change a company. These paths or processes are top-down or bottom up; otherwise named induced or autonomous. Burgelman (1991) discusses with an evolutionary VSR model (Variation, Selection, Retention) how their impact differs. He thinks that the variations inside and outside firms are being selected based on market demands and that the very traits of successful
meeting these demands are the core of bureaucracy at the same time (Hannan & Freeman, 1984; Burgelman, 1983, 1991). These are the RAR traits : Reliability, Accountability and Reproducibility. Because every development goes through the same bureaucratic channels, these traits cause bureaucracy. Bureaucracy causes the firm to change at a slower rate than the environment, a phenomenon also called structural inertia (Hannan & Freeman: 143).
Researchers build the term structural inertia around two propositions. First, there are internal (stakeholders) and external (societal and stakeholders) constraints limiting the capacity to change (Hannan & Freeman, 1984). And secondly, even if the changed
organizations have a better fit in the environment, all change disrupts current practices. The first phase of change, in which the new practice is implemented must be disruptive to push through the (possible) resistance to change (1984: 145). In fact, the initial disruption can be so disruptive, it may incapacitate the organization in the long run. Much organizational change involves loss of competency through structural transformation, loss of knowledge, or through personnel changes (Hannan & Freeman, 1984). So all organizational change contains a disruptive element of creation (Schumpeter, 1994 [1942]). The assumption that we can guarantee an outcome of change by effective analysis, proper planning and appropriate action is not correct because we have to take agency of the stakeholders into account (R. Seel, 2000: 2).
Not only are there different paths possible to drive change, the kind of change differ too, so found Greenwood and Hinings (1996). In their paper they describe four types of change within companies. These types of changes differed in the amount of change and time span in which the change took place. The pace of change varies due to structures of
institutional units and internal organizational dynamics. The first change is convergent change. This kind of change is “fine tuning the existing orientation of the organization”
12 (1996: 1025). Convergent change happens when the management uses coercive, mimetic or normative methods. Coercive methods are based on force, threats for instance. Mimetic methods contain a lot of contact between groups to exchange knowledge and to imitate each other and normative methods follow a communicated standard or norm within the society. Evolutionary change is a slow and gradual change, adapting one part of the company at the time. Revolutionary change has a swift pace and affects all part of organization
simultaneously. While organizations are implementing a radical change they are “bursting loose from the existing orientation and are transforming the organization” (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996: 1025).
Convergent change and evolutionary change are induced processes of change says Burgelman (1991). They are issued top-down and in line with the current strategy. They are used for the exploitation of the resources currently in the possession of the company. The revolutionary and radical change are used for exploration of new resources outside the current grasp of the firm or their strategy, these changes can be made bottom-up by corporate entrepreneurship or top-down by visionary leaders (Burgelman, 1991).
This study uses the definition of Greenwood and Hinings (1996) on evolutionary change when mentioning organizational change. This study will be based on research conducted at The Hilti Company. In the case of Hilti, the replacement of the product
catalogue and the website is not a change in the organizational structure but an optimization of the sales and communications strategy. Additionally, the change is issued top down and induced with a slow gradual pace of change throughout the company.
Change can be difficult and even dangerous for firms. Likewise, it is necessary for the continued performance of a firm to answer to the demands of the market. The firm's
performance depends on the environmental fit; when the demands of the consumers changes, so has the company. The next chapter explains some fundamental theories about the
importance of the social environment of firms on the successful implementation of change.
2.3 The Impact of the Social Environment on Change
All firms face the problem of change and having to cope with people resisting this change (Hargadon & Douglas, 2001). People influenced by business strategies, like customers, employees and suppliers are stakeholders and will protest if they perceive that their stake is negatively influenced by corporate change (Kaptein & van Tulder, 2003: 204). The
13 because he can be considered the founding father of the stakeholder theory (Laplume et al., 2008). According to Freeman, these stakeholders are “any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organization's objectives” (1984: 46). His statement that you have to deal with all groups that can affect you, is criticized, since all living entities can affect the firm and it is considered impossible to take all their stakes into account
(Laplume et al., 2008: 1162).
If we view the firm as a fixed pie of resources, all stakeholders will try to accumulate as much resources as they can. The success of one group diminishes the amount of resources that is left for the others. Although the stakes of the different stakeholders often overlap, viewing stakeholder management from economist point of equilibrium is unrealistic. This static ideal of a perfect balance between market supply and demand, does not account for the dynamics of interests (Freeman, 2011).
The increased interconnectedness of the world and the increased reach of businesses, makes the environment and the different stakeholders very dynamic. Hence, this makes the stakeholder theory very important. The idea that organizations are dependent on
environmental pressures of actors and that firms should be managed in the interest of all their constituents is the foundation of the stakeholder theory (Freeman, 2011). In this system of shared power, no one is fully in charge, no organization or stakeholder stands alone in the process of value creation (Laplume et al., 2008). For a successful change, like the
implementation of a new technology, all the stakeholders must be aligned for the same goal. The alignment of all the stakeholders towards a collective goal, creates a ‘jointness of
interest’. This jointness of interest makes ‘shared value creation’ possible: creating value that benefits the company and their stakeholders simultaneously (Freeman, 2011: 8).
The argument of shared value is in line with the idea of embeddedness of Greenwood and Hinging (1996: 1029). They argue that the amount of embeddedness, described as the intra-firm connectedness and the closeness of the firm within society, constraints the
economic activity of a company by non-economic institutions. This is called the institutional context. The actions of a business are influenced by the pressures from regulatory agencies and general social expectations.
There is tension between stakeholders of the firm and the institutional pressure, theorize Greenwood and Hinings (1996). The tension originates in different perspectives of stakeholders of how the company should look and the market pressure of competition and demand. If the firm is highly embedded and this results in a high institutional context, there is resistance to change (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996). This concept; tension between the stakes
14 of stakeholders and the negative action resulting from this tension, is used as the definition of resistance to change in this study.
The power struggle occurs if the proposed changes alter values and visions related to the existing order, argue Greenwood and Hinings (1996). The alteration of the existing order results from the survival of one set of values and visions at the expense of the others (Trader-Leigh, 2001:138). Thus, the general social expectations of the stakeholders (the social environment) create a vision of how the company should look like, that could differ with the market pressure of competition and demand (Greenwood & Hinings, 1996).
Guowei Jian (2007) argues that a tension-centered approach should be applied to resistance to ICT on the work floor because the implementation of ICT could be seen as an organizational-wide planned change. Secondly, she states that like all planned changes, the implementation of an ICT on the work floor is an intentional process to achieve a certain state. This process of change could trigger and intensify organizational tensions (Jian 2007: 521). When applied to the implementation of a new technology, stakeholder theory shows the existence of three different forms of tensions within firms.
The perception that your stake is negatively influenced creates three forms of tensions surrounding the implementation of a new technology. First tension occurs when the
managerial values do not align with technological practices. The organizational values and rules of behavior on paper (espoused management values), can clash with the mandated technological practice (Jian, 2007: 522).
The second tension is strain between the integration of business processes and their possible negative effect on business relationships. This tension develops when business processes intervene with and hurt work relationships (Jian, 2007: 523).
Lastly, the third tension arises when an organization shows a lack in overall vision of how a technology should be used. This results in a disconnect in an organization between
enterprise-wide practices vs. local practices (Jian, 2007: 523). Additional to the stakeholder and tension-centered approach on the effect of the social
environment on change implementation, is the social constructionist perspective. It adds to the stakeholder theory by showing the nuances and tension created by the social
embeddedness. It complements the tension-centered view too by showing the competing
meanings appropriated and constructed by these tensions (Jian, 2007). The core of this perspective is that technology, just as change, is not the static
element that most theories argue it to be. This in contrast to the classical approach to organizational change that usually assumes that organizations are usually in one state or
15 another. This idea is well illustrated with the model of ‘unfreeze—change—freeze’ of Kurt Lewin (1946). Implying that “ the change process requires us to somehow shake the
organization out of its current equilibrium so that we can change it while it is unstable and then let it settle into a new equilibrium state closer to our ideal” (Seel, 2000: 2).
Following the social constructionist view in ICT studies, technology is made by its users and created in the various ways the different practices are internalized by interacting social actors within the firm (Jian, 2007). The social constructionist perceives the
implementation of a technology as the sum of the assumed benefits; the hard- and software as well as the symbolic meanings associated with the new technology. It acknowledges the internalization of this technology as a public symbol and signifier; “the meaning of which is (re)constituted in, and challenged by, various interpretations of active sense making that takes place throughout the process of technology acquisition, implementation and use” (Jian, 2007: 519). The difference between the use of technology in paper and in practice, opens the discussion towards the acceptance of and resistance to technology as not an issue caused by the new technology adoption but as the process of molding the technology by its users. Therefore a technology has no fixed identity, but is subjected to a constant process of identity construction during social interactions between actors and actors and technology (Jian, 2007: 520).
Though, social influence and tensions influence the identity of technology, but they are not the only factors influencing technology acceptance. As said earlier, the identity of the technology is constructed in different interactions. First there are the interactions between actors, secondly there is interaction between the actors and the technology. Before the actors use and interact with the technology, they have constructed an identity of the technology. This identity is based on expectations created by social interactions between actors. After they used the technology they compare their experience with their expectations and decide if their previous idea concerning the technology were correct. Both the before and after usage perceptions are important for the acceptance of technology (Jian, 2007).
The process of acceptance and opinion forming contains many variables, but most firms do not consider these when implementing a new technology. This could result in failure of the technological implementation and huge financial losses (Venkatesh & Bala, 2008). Many scientists were prompted to research the sometimes disproportionate financial
investment and lacking change implementations. They recognized the need for clarification on the factors influencing the use and acceptance of technology. Since then a lot of models and theories have been generated and expanded. The next chapter clarifies some of the most
16 influential models used to measure acceptance and use during technology implementation. We will discuss the 3 different TAM models, their inspiration the TRA, the UTAUT model and the final model UTAUT2.
2.4 Models of Use and Acceptance of Technology
Scott (2009) argues that if society has trouble keeping an overview of all the
technological innovations, scientists have the obligation to provide models and theories that can. The Unified theory of Use and Acceptance (UTAUT) is created for this goal. But it was presided by lots of research by others, one of the most influential models is the Technology and Acceptance Model (TAM)
Even though the TAM was created in 1989 by F.D. Davis, it continues to be relevant to the gap between new technology implementation and usage. Since 1989, it has been improved by multiple fields and researchers which resulted in three evolved models.
Figure 3. Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) (Fishbein & Ajzen,
1975)
The Theory of Reasoned Actions (TRA) adapted from Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) is the first model the TAM theory is based on. TRA can be defined as the intention of
behavioral action before the behavior takes place. The behavioral intention to use the technology is influenced by subjective norm and attitude. Subjective norm is defined as “an individual`s perception that most people who are important to him or her think the behavior should be performed” (1975: 454). Attitude towards the behavior is defined as “the
individual's positive or negative feelings about performing a target behavior” (1975: 454). Davis (1989) based TAM upon TRA, but left the subjective norm out of the model.
17 Figure 4. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)*
(Davis, Bagozzi & Warshaw, 1989)
Davis (1989) focused more on technology acceptance than on normative or individual believes, because his interest was mainly in it fulfilling the needs of businesses. The practical application of this model made it especially interesting for businesses interested in the
functioning of technology within the firm.
TAM addresses the user attitude of technology with two factors; perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Perceived usefulness is the perception an person of how much the use of a certain technology would improve work performance. Perceived ease of use is defined as the perceived amount of effort needed to use the technology (Davis, 1989: 320)
Davis, Bagozzi and Warshaw (1989: 323) argues that intention of use decides the actual use of the technology while influenced by attitude, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Actual system use is defined as the ”demonstrative willingness among a user group to employ information technology” (Venkatesh et al., 2003:472).
Figure 5. Technology Acceptance Model 2 (TAM2)
18
Venkatesh and Davis (2000) noticed that the users perception of the variable perceived ease of use, is influenced by objective usability only immediately after using the technology. Even more interesting is that perceived ease of use is mainly influenced by the
Figure 6. Technology Acceptance Model 3 (TAM3) (Venkatesh & Bala, 2008)
user's self-efficacy with computers. Computer self-efficacy is the amount of knowledge, skill and comfort a person has with computer use. When a person experiences the usefulness and enjoys the interaction with the technology, these perceptions change (Venkatesh and Davis 2000: 188). This resulted in the creation of social influence (for example; subjective norms, people I find important want me to use this technology) and cognitive instrumental processes (for example; quality of work output) as variables in TAM2. Therefore it is more important for firms to increase self-efficacy of their employees than to improve the technology design. The findings of mediating factors like self-efficacy spurred the expansion of TAM and TAM2 model.
19 research the additional factors influencing perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, while taking the accumulating experience with the technology into account. The perceived ease of use prior to the actual use of the technology is constructed out of the expectations of the technology user. These perceptions are based upon technological constraints, computer anxiety, self-efficacy, and playfulness.
Self-efficacy is already explained above, the rest of these constructs are defined by Venkatesh and Bala (2008: 380) as follows; “the degree of an individual’s apprehension, or even fear, when she/he is faced with the possibility of using computers” is called computer anxiety. You
could Figure 7. Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh et al., 2003)
say that the dependence of technology inspires an apprehension for the use of computers. Or for example, the possibility that you do not understand the workings of a computer and are afraid to push a wrong button.
Computer playfulness is described as impulsive computer interactions and behavior. And lastly, the definition of facilitating conditions: the expectation of the technology user that the necessary technological resources are available to use the technology (Venkatesh et al., 2003).
The research of Venkatesh and Morris (2000) for TAM3 indicated that age and gender are important moderators on the impact of social influence, perceived ease of use and usefulness. The model TAM3 expanded the key factors of perceived ease of use and
20 usefulness while adding age, gender, voluntariness and experience as moderators on these factors. In spite of the extensive model, Venkatesh, Morris, Davis and Davis (2003) wanted to incorporate multiple extending research models on this subject. So they came together to
create an Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Based upon earlier TAM and multiple expanded models, four factors were created. These
factors are the main indicators of the intent to use the technology and the actual use;
performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions. The constructs of UTAUT are all visible in the appendices, but this study will shortly highlight them in the next paragraph.
Performance expectancy is the expected performance benefits of using this
technology. According to the UTAUT model, the choice of behavior is correlated with the expected outcome. For example; does the user think he will perform better at work when using this technology? The idea that outcome influences behavior applies throughout the model. The construct has consistently shown to be the strongest predictor of behavioral intention (Venkatesh et al. 2003).
The next factor is the cognitive tradeoff between the effort required and the
advantages gained ; effort expectancy. In other words, the ease associated with the use of the system viewed from a cost–benefit analysis. Are the benefits of learning how to use the technology greater than the effort of learning?
Another trade-off can be seen when social pressure is applied to stimulate a certain behavior. Social influence impacts the intent to use a technology with a social pressure to use or not use a technology. Additionally, a factor influencing the behavioral intent is the
expectation of the presence of the necessary infrastructure to use the technology. Venkatesh et al. (2003) calls this Facilitation conditions. An example can be the necessity of internet presence to work online.
The stakeholders do not always have the choice to use a technology or not. Venkatesh et al. (2003) state that Voluntariness influences the social influence to use the technology or not. Voluntariness is the feeling of choice, whether you chose to use the technology or feel forced to use it. When the use of the technology is mandatory, the relation between social influence and behavioral intent increases.
An idea often stated when discussing technology implementation in organizations is that Age is very important as a negative influence on behavioral intent. Venkatesh et al. (2003) states that older people have more need for social appreciation and thus older age
21 leads to more social influence on behavioral intent. They do not distinguish between actual age and self-perception of age.
Haederle (2011) notes that there is a widespread idea that technology is easier accepted and used by people of younger age, while older people are lagging behind. However, one of the more popular social media sites, Facebook, has reported that its demographics have expanded to represent a wider age range. People over 55 are now the second largest user group of Facebook; older people are starting to flock to this technology (Kerr, 2012).
Recent research done by the Pew Research Center (January 2014)6 shows that the majority of people from 50-64 years old use social network sites, as well as almost half of all the people that are 65+ years old. So albeit the
percentage of older people (50-65+) using network sites is lower than the younger adults (18-50), using technology is not only for the people of young age.
This is confirmed by the research of Neves, Amaro and Fonseca (2013) on ICT usage among adults older than 64 years. Instead of age, they say, the main reasons not to use ICT are functional and attitudinal. The predictors of use between computer based technology like smartphones and ICT
differed. Computer based technology is predicted
by age and education, while the use of the internet was predicted by education.
In 2012, Venkatesh, Thong and Xu decided that the original UTAUT model was so extensive it warranted a revision and extension. According to Venkatesh et al (2012) there was a need for a systematic investigation to theorize which factors would influence the use of consumer technology. On those grounds, UTAUT2 was created. This model incorporates three new constructs into UTAUT: hedonic motivation, price value, and habit. Age, gender, and experience are moderators on the effects of these constructs on behavioral intention and technology use. By introducing these three key-concepts into the model, Venkatesh et al. (2012) tailored UTAUT2 specifically to consumer use of technology.
6 Pew. 2014. Who is using network sites? Accessed: 22-06-2015. Retrieved from:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z6FSaG_YpZNmgy653r96G8QB0h1B1md6umiXy-3sNoo/edit#
Figure 8. Who uses networking sites? (PEW, 2014)6
22 The original UTAUT takes an approach that emphasizes the importance of utilitarian value; performance expectancy. This factor has been shown to be the strongest predictor of
behavioral intention (see Venkatesh et al. 2003). In the UTAUT2 model this extrinsic motivation is supplemented with intrinsic motivation. Hedonic motivation is defined as “the fun or pleasure derived from using a technology” (Venkatesh et al., 2012: 161). Price is a factor new to the UTAUT because it is important for consumers since consumers have to bear the costs associated with the purchase of devices and services (ibid.: 160).
Lastly, because the consumer acts voluntary, the key factor habit is included in the model. Habit has been defined as “the extent to which people tend to perform behaviors automatically because of learning or automaticity” (ibid.: 161). The automaticity of behavior is needed to create a pressure for behavior (ibid.: 159). Habit exist out of precious
experiences. According to Ajzen and Fishbein (2005) previous experiences will influence beliefs and henceforth future performance and use of consumers. In this context, habit is a constantly changing construct that reflects the earlier experiences. Other studies show that prior use was a strong predictor of future technology use if a perception-based approach to the measurement of habit is used. Such an operationalization shows a direct effect on technology use and behavioral intention. On top of that, when the habit increases, the effect of behavioral intention becomes less important, making habit the main factor predicting technology use (Venkatesh et al., 2012: 162).
As seen above, there has been extensive research on the different factors influencing use and acceptance of technology within firms and the moderators on the different factors are based upon earlier research; age, gender, voluntariness and experience. They measure the strength of the relation between the factors and the behavioral intention. But almost all research has been done with quantitative research method with surveys.
Jian (2007) used interviews to apply a tension-centered approach towards the implementation of ICT in multinationals. Her exemplary research provides deep insights towards the adoption, implementation and use of an organizational wide implementation of ICT. Not to mention, her use of the tension-centered view found an dynamic, reflexive interplay between the ongoing construction of ICTs and organizational tensions. As noted in the chapter of the influence of the social environment on change, these re-creations of ideas about technology influence the acceptance and use of technology. Still, because she only uses interviews and applies a tension-centered view, her findings provide an alternative, but it does not add deep- qualitative insights to the existing use and acceptance models. Guion, Diehl and McDonald (2011) state that the validity of a research benefits of triangulation:
23 analyzing a research question from multiple perspectives. The different perspectives can show the inconsistencies and strengths of the different approaches and help find deeper meaning in the data. My research question will be answered with methodological
triangulation. This involves the use of multiple qualitative and/or quantitative methods to study the use and acceptance of the ICT implementation at The Hilti company. In this case, 12 in depth interviews in addition to an online survey and the corporate GEOS (Global, Employee Opinion Survey). If the findings from all of the methods draw the same or similar
conclusions, then validity has been established.
The original UTAUT model identifies factors that influence ICT implementation at the Hilti company, because the UTAUT2 is tailored to a consumer use context. This paper seeks to extend the original UTAUT model by using mixed methods to provide empirical data to support the earlier findings and give recommendations for further research. Figure 9. The UTAUT2
24 3. Methodology
3.1 The Hilti Case
Hilti is a worldwide developer, distributor and marketer of electrical power tools for the professional user in the construction industry. The family business
Hilti was founded in 1941. Since then it has grown in to a
worldwide organization with market leadership as supplier of the construction business because of their focus on innovative products, quality and service. Currently more than 22.000 employees work in more than 120 countries, with the head office residing in Schaan, Liechtenstein.
Hilti is active in the Netherlands since 1957. Currently Hilti NL employs more than 161 people; 144 men (89%) and 17
women(11%). Hilti NL exists out of an head office, and on-the-road force and Hilti center force. These represent respectively; 39 people (24%) at the head office, 110 people (68%) are on the road and 12 people are stationed at Hilti centers (8%). Of all 161 employees, 89 (55%) have a direct responsibility for sales. Twelve of these 89 employees work at a Hilti center, 39 people work at the head
office and the other 33 are team-leaders, engineers and key account managers with no fixed working place at the office5. Hilti has a reputation of developing manufacturing and marketing great tools for construction, building maintenance, and mining industries,
primarily to the professional end-user. They credit their remarkable company structure and culture for “Our caring and performance-oriented corporate culture forms the foundation for this entrepreneurial and personal growth, upheld by our four corporate values – integrity, teamwork, courage and commitment – which determine how we act and work together” (The Hilti Company, 2014).
Based upon the idea of keeping the customer very close, a ‘direct sales’ method is applied in the Netherlands. This entails that Hilti does not use retailers and only uses its own channels to sell Hilti products. Currently Hilti uses a multi-channel strategy containing 4 channels.
● Accountmanagers (AM), for instance; the territorial sales ● Hilti Center (HC)
● Internal service(CCS), everybody in the head office
25 ● Internet Webshop (Hilti Online)
Hilti has formulated a strategy for 2020 containing multiple targets with a strong online presence, see figure 8. For instance, Hilti wants to improve their operational
excellence with online services, like repairs. Conjointly, they want to improve the quality of communications towards the customer by providing overall information online, so the direct customer contact provides more in-depth individual quality information (Hilti Nederland, Hilti in het kort, 2015)7. Part of this online presence is the renewal of the website and the replacement of the paper product catalogue with an online catalogue linked to the website. Hilti takes the online catalogue of Technische Unie (TU)8 as example for their own system.
The TU digitized early on and have convinced their stakeholders to accept the system of a well-organized product catalogue with hyperlinks in the products names. This gives the possibility to directly go to the webshop for in depth information regarding the product or making a digital shopping list in your account. Therefore whenever this studies mentions the ‘system’ a general description used in the paper of Venkatesh et al. (2003), it is referring to the digital catalog with links.
In February 2013 the last paper catalogue was printed and since then only small brochures with new releases have been spread under customers and employees. Since the last printed paper catalogue (02-2013) till the end of the research period (06-2015) of this study there was no digital replacement of the paper catalogue. One customer service employee has been testing a scanned version in PDF of the last printed paper catalogue since 05-2015, and two interviews were taken about the actual use of the digital catalogue, but this is not
representative data and will only be used for constructing an advice.
The practical case of the replacement of the paper Hilti product-catalogue with a digital version linked to the renewed Hilti Online website is used to gather data and apply the theory into practice. Hilti NL wants to know if their employees will accept and use the system and gave me an internship and access to their employees to answer this question.
7
Hilti Nederland. 2015. ‘Hilti in het kort’. Accessed on: 20-06-2015. Retrieved at: https://www.hilti.nl/hilti-in-een-overzicht
8
Technische Unie. 2015.’Ons Assortiment’. Accessed on: 20-06-2015. Retrieved at: https://www.mijntu.nl/assortment-overview/
26 3.2 Research Design
As many have researched the use and acceptance of technology, only few used qualitative methods. The research gap notified a need for a multi method approach in our modern technology rich environment, because most research was done quantitative.
This study is conducted at the Hilti company because it is an international business that wants to implement a ‘system’ and experiencing mixed sentiments on the work floor. They wanted me to test the use and acceptance of the system. The access to the data was granted by an internship. The Hilti Company is a construction company with a rich history based on quality of products and service and this traditional company feels the pressure from the customers to digitize, so this study feels there is a need to broaden the theory and re-define the model by applying it to this characteristic case.
The limited amount of female employees at Hilti, the variable gender was removed out of the UTAUT model. The results obtained of any research done on gender within Hilti would be significant because of the absence of comparison data. Furthermore, the digital catalogue was not in use during the research project. The renewed Hilti online website was in use but under construction. Therefore, the factor experience with the system within the UTAUT model was not measured.
The absence of organizational-wide use of the system causes a shortage of data on behavioral use. There are two follow up interviews with the customer service employee who tested a trial version of the digital catalogue. These two interviews provide background data and preliminary advice on how to proceed with the digital catalogue, but are not viable statistics about actual user behavior.
3.3 Sampling
To give an overall view of the company, while keeping access to employees in mind, The study selected a representative sample of each working location. The amount of employees selected of each group is in relation with the total amount of employees. The intention of the study was to interview 17 people. Therefore the study intended to interview one Hilti center employee (8% of 17), 11 employees without a fixed workplace (68% of 17) and four people that work at the head office (44% of 17). By This study analyzed 12 interviews with Nvivo to look for recurring concepts and often assumed correlations between concepts. As a result of some problems discussed in the Limitations and Quality chapter, this study analyzed the interviews of 5 on the road employees (42%), one Hilti center employee (8%) and six employees located at the head office (50%). Even though the proportion of fixed and
non-27 fixed work place differs from the earlier intentions of this study. the study reached a viable sample of the company since 7 of the 12 (58%) have a direct responsibility for Sales. This is in accordance to Hilti (55%).
The following interviews were analyzed with Nvivo: The general director, online manager, Channels manager, IT and support, product manager, customer service, Hilti center service, field engineer and four territorial sales (representatives).When presenting quotes or describing the interviewees in the main findings, this study will limit the identifying
information for privacy purposes. Instead of the employees title, age and day of interview, only the age, month and year when the interview took place are given. Instead of the job title, a distinction was made based on sales or management responsibility. Along the interviews, online surveys were sent to all the 161 Hilti employees using a link in the weekly corporate mail.
3.4.1 Data gathering Nvivo
This study used mixed methods to get an overall impression of the internal stakeholders. The researcher kept a monthly diary about the experiences within the company. Moreover, this study interviewed 12 internal stakeholders with important digital stakes for 25-60 min. Questions were asked about their jobs and opinions regarding digitization. These interviews were semi structured, with open questions to assess the personal opinion of the interviewee on the use and acceptance on ICT. The interviews were conducted in a closed space without others, like an empty office or car. The participants were asked questions about the different reasons they do or do not want to use the digital version of the catalogue or digitize at all and the different reasons influencing their decision. The questions were based on the questions of technology acceptance or resistance of technology (Venkatesh, Morris, Davis & Davis, 2003). In order to explore the reasons for the paper or online catalogue preference and their motivations for (not) wanting to digitalize, the interviewees were asked how they experienced using the paper/online catalogue, what they perceived as the negative/positive sides of using the paper/online catalogue and increased ICT at work, how they thought their colleagues and customers perceived the online/paper catalogue and increased ICT at work and how the increased ICT/online catalogue influenced their work. These questions motivated the interviewees to think about the motivations of their preferences and their own interpretation of their behavior. These questions were asked to at identify emergent patterns of reasoning from the data.
28 During the interviews this study used the recorder on a phone to record the
conversation. After the interviews the asked questions were emitted, so only the interviewees answers were transcribed. For instance: ‘what is your function at Hilti?’ would be changed into; ‘My function at Hilti entails’. This was necessary since Nvivo does not discriminates between interviewer and interviewee and would signal the recurring questions as often said constructs coding the words of the researcher, would make all the Nvivo data unviable.
All the interviews were recorded with permission and the transcribed interviews were analyzed and coded with Nvivo to identify repeating patterns or themes (Strauss & Corbin, 1990) concerning the use and acceptance of ICT. The frequency of a node or combination of nodes in the data containing all the interviews was used as the basis of in order to identify patterns in the data.
3.4.2 Data gathering GEOS and Online Surveys
The practical case of the use and acceptance of the ‘system’: the implementation of the online Hilti product catalogue with hyperlinks to the HOL website, was employed to gather data and apply the theory into practice.
The online survey used the questions tested by Venkatesh et al. (2003) for the construction of the different factors of the UTAUT model. See the appendices for the research questions used to determine UTAUT by Venkatesh et al. (2003: 460) as well as the application of these questions in the online survey.
All the questions were translated to Dutch using a double translation method and was sent to the thesis coordinator and the Hilti company for agreement. Because the system was not yet implemented and the website was in use but renewed (HOL) when the questionnaire was started, some questions are phrased in the future; for instance, when asking about
perceived effort and performance. Other questions regarding facilitating condition and social influence are in the present tense. Although this may sound confusing, it was more logical to ask about their current situation. The facilitating conditions of the wanted ‘system’ are not known but the facilitating conditions of the current ‘system’; the HOL website and paper catalogue from February 2013 are known. Taken into account that consideration that the system changes the way of working this study assumes it does not impact the social and technical environment as much. Therefore this study assumes that the social influence and technical conditions of the employees would change little with the implementation of this system and the corporate environment after the system implementation would be similar. See
29 the appendices for an overview of the questions tested by Venkatesh (2003) and the survey questions of this study.
In the article of Venkatesh et al. (2003) each factor has four questions to estimate UTAUT. Some of these questions were removed by Hilti, The last question of perceived performance was removed because ‘If I use the system, I will increase my chances of getting a raise’ was considered too personal. Considering the study could not use the word ‘raise’, the focus was set on the extrinsic motivation of performance and the missing question was substituted with a question about performing tasks more quickly when using the system.
Also, the last question of the factor perceived effort was removed because of a feeling of repetition. This study tried to substitute the fourth question with a question about ICT-skill level. The factor perceived effort is based on the assumption of cost-benefit analysis by the user. Therefore this study assumes that users with a higher skill have a lower costs (effort) in using the system.
The second and third question of social influence were not accepted by Hilti. The second question was too similar to the first question and gave a feeling of repetition. The third question about the helpfulness of higher management during the system implementation was considered too confronting. Both questions were removed. Since asking about the
influence of higher management was not an option, a different side of social influence had to be addressed.
Another social influence often mentioned in the interviews was pressure from
customers. Considering this occurrence, the question about higher management was replaced with a question about customer sentiments about the system and increased use of ICT at Hilti. Lastly, the third and fourth question of facilitating conditions were removed. The third was removed because the system was not yet implemented and therefore the compatibility with other systems was unknown. The fourth was removed by Hilti for unknown reasons. The study tried to compensate for the loss of data with additional sources, with one extra statement on the availability of resources and with quotes from the observational data and data provided by GEOS.
Online surveys were sent to all the 161 Hilti employees using a link in the weekly corporate mail (MAge= 37.78,SDAge= 1.20). Every week for a month a reminder was send.
Finally, 69 were returned, with 5 invalids. A response rate of 39.6%.
This survey contained 25 questions; 13 questions with a five points likert scale (the lowest rating one being very negative, to the highest rating five being very positive), three dichotomous questions, one dichotomous question with the added option of ‘no preference’,
30 and eight open questions. These eight open questions and a observational diary were analyzed using Nvivo for recurring concepts and the rest of the online survey was used to construct quantitative supporting data for the results of the interviews.
Besides the online survey, the study used the Global Employees Opinion survey (GEOS) of September 2014 to generate additional data about employee opinions about facilitating conditions, social influence and company loyalty. This data is not about the system but provides general information about the corporate functioning and social culture. This data is valuable to the implementation of the system because it shows the environment in which the system will be implemented and the current experiences of the employees with other technology. The GEOS is an anonymous corporate survey conducted by a firm that specializes in conducting GEOS at firms, namely GFK9. The Hilti GEOS divides the respondents in three age groups; 25-35, 36-45, 46-55 years old.
3.5.1. Data analysis Nvivo
With the answers of the open questions about ‘the positive and negative consequences of the use of paper or ICT, the interviews were deductively coded into four nodes; reasons to like ICT (self-interest) /reasons to resist ICT (self-interest)/ reasons to dislike paper/ reasons to like paper. After the coding in nodes, the interviews were coded inductively by reading the interviews and new nodes were made when an interviewee mentioned a new construct. See the appendices for an overview of all the child nodes. Two separate parent nodes was made, because they did not fit within the earlier parent nodes. We So coded In Vivo ”We have to put our money where our mouth is” and added network embeddedness for all the social pressures the employees mentioned. These nodes are recurring statements within the interviews and expresses a sentiment outside ICT perception or resistance.
Using a coding matrix query, a matrix was made that listed all the frequencies of coding per node and all the double nodes. Next, all the nodes were put in the rows and columns of the matrix without discrimination to get a general view of the results. This all vs all word matrix is very big, therefore it is not included in the appendices, but available on request from the researcher. Than many word trees were made to see when people used the words resistance, age or skills in combination to technology/digitalization or ICT.
9 GFK Global. 2015.Our team of data scientist turns big data into smart data that enables our
clients to create winning strategies. Accessed: 22-06-2015. Retrieved from: http://www.gfk.com
31 3.5.2. Data analysis GEOS and online survey
With the emailed link to the online survey 64 completed forms were collected. These forms were not suitable for SPSS since certain questions were missing but with the data gathered general assumptions can be made about the social influence and facilitation conditions of Hilti in general, the use and acceptance of the ‘system’ Hilti wants to implement.
To give a clear overview made pie-charts were made with the results of the online surveys and recurring concepts of the open ended questions analyzed using Nvivo. See the appendices for an overview of all the charts and open ended questions.
GEOS measures the Hilti Fan index; the opinions of the employees regarding their alignment, capabilities and engagement with the firm. One hundered-thirtysix employees completed this form . The results are measured on a scale from -50 to +50, with -50 being the lowest score and +50 the highest. Individual responds are not visible but the ‘favorites’ are. A favorite is the score that is within one standard deviation of the mean of that questions
`rating. Therefore the standard deviation and favorite differs per question. For example; 27% of all respondents rated the lunch quality at Hilti +39 or higher on a scale of -50 to +50. The results of the GEOS are confidential and not visible in the appendices.
3.6 Limitations and Quality
The mixed methods of interviews, two surveys and an observational diary improves the depth of the data. The triangulation of these methods improves the validity of the research. The use of the GEOS of Hilti helps the validity too, since the GEOS has a response rate of 136 out of 161 employees and decreases the influence of researcher bias since the interview was
conducted by the company. The corporate GEOS survey as well as the online survey were both anonymous and random within the employee population of Hilti. The interviews were random, but limited by availability of the employees, their work pressure and their
willingness to cooperate. Therefore everybody was asked who worked at certain departments for an interview and selected the interviewee based on availability.
Hilti gave the opportunity to conduct this research at their company with an
internship. So, the research was done while working between the internal stakeholders of the firm (employees). The study was undertaken as objective as possible, but there is a chance, either the researcher or the respondents/interviewees favored socially accepted or positive reflecting on Hilti questions and answers. To keep a critical view while experiencing the internalization of cultural of norms and values, observational data was written in a diary. Besides the observations, socially acceptable answers were minimized by conducting the
32 interviews in personalized settings and emphasizing the anonymity to the interviewees and respondents.
The first problem this study encountered was the non-existence of the digital
catalogue and a renewal of an existing website. Hilti wanted to implement a new technology; ‘a system’ and asked me to test the use and acceptance, but for a long time the definition of the ‘system’ was unclear. After talks with the Hilti management they admitted to aspire a similar system of a competitor; the Technische Unie. Therefore the successful website and online product catalogue of the Technische Unie was taken as definition of the ‘system’ in the online survey.
Another problem was that business innovations, technological innovations,
technology, computer technology and IT/ICT are theorized under a lot of different names. It was hard to get an overview of the scientific research. As a result lot of time was spent finding the appropriate literature gap.
Unfortunately, the recording device broke during the transcription period of the interviews and five interviews were lost. Because of the overall work pressure of the employees as well as the nearing deadline of this thesis, the interviews were not redone. If redone, this second interview would have been influenced by their earlier interview and would have been less viable. The interviews with a customer service employee, a territorial sales representative and two territorial sales team managers were lost. To compensate for the loss of interviews, the observational information of the diary was used.
The research is limited in viability because of the limited amount of respondents only 12 interviews and 64 of 161 employees completed the online survey about ICT use and acceptance at Hilti. Additionally, because the online survey was sent using an emailed link in the weekly corporate mail, the amount of time and effort invested by the respondents in the online surveys is unknown. The same applies to the amount of precision applied or the amount of time invested by the respondents in the online survey.
My thesis coordinator at the university had a look at the online survey questions, but the study was dependent on Hilti for their admission of the survey into the weekly corporate mail. Therefore the translation of the proven questions of Venkatesh et al. (2003) from English to Dutch was necessary. It can be argued that the translation of the questions from English to Dutch influences the validity of the question, but 6 Hilti employees on HR and Marketing corrected the questions until deemed correct Dutch and viable.
Since the research was conducted at the head office of Hilti, naturally, they wanted to make sure the online survey was sound. Before the online survey was send, Hilti did a
33 spelling check and changed or reworded certain questions for clarification purposes. Not to mention, Hilti strongly suggested removing certain questions because they were deemed too personal, this could have influenced the results. Moreover, the study was discouraged to use certain questions about the system, so Hilti provided the corporate Global Employee Opinion Survey, which asked similar questions to the employees about their current experiences.
Regrettably, because both surveys; the online survey and GEOS were anonymous, there was no linking of results possible. Besides, they were sent out 6 months apart and had a different amount of respondents. On top of that, the GEOS tests was completed by 136 respondents out of 161 employees and the online survey gathered 62 out of 161. Since the amount of respondents was very low and the linking of both surveys was problematic SPSS was not possible, but the quantitative data provided background information to the interviews and general assumptions can be made.
Another setback occurred when the questions regarding ‘digitization’ and a ‘preference regarding a paper or digital catalogue’ were tested. The intent of the online survey was known since the internship at the company was based upon this research. Therefore the online survey results are not very objective. The questions regarding a
preference for a digital or paper catalogue did not correlate with any variable. They could not be tested, because the answers given were so random. We could argue is an answer in itself. The respondents had strong opinions considering the catalogue replacement and were aware that the online survey could influence the opinion of the managers. It seems like the questions were given with the intent of influencing the results of the test. The subject of catalogue replacement was emotionally loaded. So even when a person answered to prefer working on the computer, thought working on the computer was more effective, they again answered they did not want to replace the paper catalogue. This could occur because of badly formulated questions in the online survey or the emotional attachment to the catalogue.
The differentiation between the age groups 25-35, 36-45 and 46-55 were available in GEOS. The score differences were very small due to the large age groups and it missed the people under 25 or above 55 years old. The discrepancy between the age between the GEOS results and the Nvivo results could be explained by the missing values of the groups <25 and 55+ or the selection of questions that could favor positively scored questions by younger people or because older employees are often in higher management and work in an office instead of open workspaces with others so they have less opportunity to interact with others. Older people often have a social base outside work with family to boot, so this could
