Strategic Web use by nonprofit organizations in Appalachian Ohio: The influence of resource dependency and institutional expectations

This study explores why and how nonprofit organizations in Appalachian Ohio adopt the Web. With the rapid spread of web-technology in society, nonprofit organizations must consider whether they can improve their operations and services by using this technology. While the primary focus of existing studies was placed on the relationships between organizational characteristics and information technology (IT) adoption, the influence of environmental factors on adoption has scarcely been investigated. Because of the dearth of literature, this study attempts to understand how environmental pressures influence the decision to adopt the Web and implement it. In particular it focuses on small nonprofit organizations in Appalachian Ohio, which are located in an economically and technologically disadvantaged area for Web adoption. Grounded in the integration of resource dependency theory, institutional theory, and the strategic choice perspective, this study explicates the adoption process of advanced technology in a complex nonprofit environment. After examining ways in which the nonprofit organizations in the region used the Web through a content analysis of their web sites, multiple case studies were conducted to better understand why these organizations used the Web in particular ways.; The results of the content analysis show very low Web adoption among smaller nonprofit organizations in Appalachian Ohio especially when it came to strategic Web uses. The subsequent case studies of those who used the Web strategically demonstrated that pressures from both the task and institutional environments influenced their Web adoption and use. While institutional expectations of Web deployment have increasingly motivated these organizations to adopt the Web, Web use was affected by resource dependency. Even though the environment surrounding small nonprofits in rural areas has become supportive for Web use with the diffusion of the Internet, decision-making regarding Web use was still strongly determined by resource providers. While satisfied with their current Web use, these nonprofit organizations realized the need to focus more on a client-oriented approach that would strengthen the ties between the organization, their clients, and their contributors, thereby increasing the trust level among them as well as support from them.