The Influence of Organizational Culture on the Adoption of ICT Innovation following Technological Disruption: Evidence from Kenyan ICT SMEs

Abstract

Disruptive ICT technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and mobile computing are transforming how organizations communicate, connect and discover. As a result, firms are being forced to restructure their strategies in order to survive in the market. Despite developing new strategies, an existent challenge facing the adoption of ICT innovation lies in the redesign of the human activity systems in which the technology is embedded and as such, necessitating an evolution of employee behaviour to facilitate adoption. In this study, it is aimed to investigate the influence of organizational culture on employee behaviour towards the adoption of ICT innovation. The study adopts a positivist philosophy where a survey of 83 managers and 43 employees drawn from 100 ICT Kenyan SMEs is conducted. Data collected is analysed using regression and correlation techniques. The findings from the study revealed that employee behaviour facilitating the adoption of ICT innovation were fostered by organizational cultures that adopted adhocracy practices such as having informal manager-employee relationships and emphasizing on creating customer value. Additionally, organizational culture dimensions such as control, social control and customer orientation were linked to high ICT adoption rates. In the wake of technological disruption, it would be recommended for tech SMEs to foster organization culture climates that facilitate employee behaviour favo uring ICT adoption. Consequently, this implies that they structure their policies to enable their employees to trust in new technologies, foster personal incentives in experimenting with the technology, develop a perceived usefulness of the technology and perceived ease of use from using the technology.