Creating strategies for these ambivalent groups is important, because
their behavior is meaningful and differs substantially from groups that are
more straightforward in adopting, or
not adopting, a system. When supporting non-users are treated as uncooperative mavericks, their initial support for
a system could be at risk. And while it
seems pragmatic to neglect users’ resistance as long as they continue to use
the system, the result could be long-term problems. Finally, the groups with
ambivalent behavior can influence others’ reactions toward the system in unforeseen ways. Such influences suggest
implementers need customized strategies to cope with the diverse, sometimes ambivalent, reactions of target
groups expected to adopt a new system.
We conceptualize IS acceptance and
resistance as two dimensions leading
to identification of four types of be-
havior by user groups. Additionally, we
identify two other groups that might
not use a new system but are involved
in its implementation process through
their support of or resistance to its
adoption. The resulting model consists
of six categories IS implementers might
subsequently apply to identify and dis-
cuss GP behaviors in adopting the EPS
in the Netherlands. Finally, we discuss
how implementers can monitor and
develop customized strategies, particu-
larly for the two “hidden” groups over-
looked in the literature: “resisting us-
ers” and “supporting non-users.”
six actor Groups
Figure 1 includes four user-based
quadrants based on two dimensions
derived from the IS-acceptance-and-
resistance literature.
3, 4, 6–8, 15 The verti-
cal dimension represents interviewed
users’ IS acceptance measured by their
IS use.
3, 15 The horizontal dimension
represents IS resistance measured
through behavioral categories adapted
from several organizational behavior
theories: Interaction Theory,
8 Equity
Theory,
1, 4 and Multilevel Theory of Re-
sistance to Information Technology.
7
The degrees apart from no usage to
high usage and from resistance to sup-
port are continuous, not discrete.
