The diffusion of research on the adoption and diffusion of information technology

Yogesh K. Dwivedi

Michael D. Williams

Banita Lal

pp. 3-22

in: Ana M Bernardos, Karlheinz Kautz (eds), Open it-based innovation: moving towards Cooperative it transfer and knowledge diffusion, Berlin, Springer, 2008

Abstract

The considerable level of investigation into information systems and technology acceptance and diffusion to date has witnessed the use of an extensive range of exploratory techniques examining numerous diverse systems and technologies in a myriad of different contexts. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive and systematic review of the literature relating to such adoption and diffusion issues in order to establish the current "state of play" in the domain along a number of dimensions including unit of analysis, research paradigm employed, technology examined, and theoretical models and constructs. Our findings suggest that the positivist paradigm, empirical and quantitative research, the survey method, and TAM theory were used predominantly when investigating the topics of adoption and diffusion of technology. Although the adoption of broad range of technologies has been examined, our results indicate that a number of technologies have so far received relatively little investigative attention.