Six factors for a more active community

In the past, together with the University of Twente, we have investigated why employees do or do not use internal digital media. Our studies show that thirteen factors could play a role in the adoption process. Seven factors are expected to be the most important.

In the end, regardless of the context of the organization, we found six factors that are significant and therefore important for any adoption process of internal digital media:

1. Expected performance improvement; the extent to which someone experiences or expects the use of internal digital media to contribute to daily operations.
2. Expected effort; the degree to which someone experiences or expects that it takes effort to make use of internal digital media. This is both about the technique (‘how does it work?’) as if for time and opportunity.
3. Reputation; the extent to which someone experiences or expects that the use of internal digital media contributes to their own status within the organization.
4. Perceived use of colleagues; the extent to which a person sees that colleagues with whom he/she collaborates offline are also active on internal digital media.
5. Perceived use of executives; the extent to which someone sees that direct executives and senior management are (also) active on internal digital media.
6. Standards for collaboration; the extent to which someone experiences that collaboration and knowledge sharing are already commonplace within the organization.

It is striking that some factors are interrelated. For example: if someone knows how and what internal digital media can be used for (expected effort), there is a good chance that this will benefit the expected performance improvement.

While all of these factors play a role in the adoption process, the degree of impact of the individual factors varies by organizational culture. Thus, not all factors will be equally important in every organization. For example, in a function-oriented culture, the perceived use by managers is likely to play a more dominant role than in a result-oriented culture where perhaps the expected performance improvement is important again.

Questions?

Do you have questions about the adoption factors or do you want insight into how the adoption factors are applicable in your organization? Contact Peter Haan at peter@evolve.eu or call 06-13 98 14 27.