Acceptance and Use of the 'Digital Measures' System in an Organized Anarchy

The literature reveals that researchers have examined the adoption of different types of systems, both voluntary and mandatory, by different groups of individuals affiliated with different types of organizations. Adoption studies may exhibit the following characteristics: a) the research participants are drawn from multiple levels of the organization’s hierarchy, and b) the research participants attach similar interpretations regarding the adoption of the information system. It is not inconceivable that individuals within the same group attach different interpretations of voluntariness to the same information system. This may be applicable in Colleges and Universities in which faculty, in particular, comprise an “organized anarchy”. Taking the case of “Activity Insight”, a commercially-available software product (hereafter referred to as Digital Measures) meant for employees in colleges and universities to report their activities. This study provides a scenario for research on whether interpretations regarding voluntariness may result in findings that stray from the norm.