| Over the past decade, telecommunication technologies have captured managers' imaginations as vehicles for growth and competition in this rapidly changing business environment. There are strong arguments that telecommunications technologies, such as E-mail, can help overcome many communication inefficiencies in an environment where the managers and professionals already spend a large portion of their work day in communication-related activities.;While the importance of telecommunication technologies in modern organizations has been recognized, very little empirical research addresses this issue. It is apparent that to better manage these powerful technologies, we must develop a better understanding of the factors that influence the end-users decision to adopt and utilize a telecommunication technology such as E-mail.;The purpose of this research was to develop and test the study model of adoption and utilization of E-mail. The research involved a field study of over 280 managers and professionals from 12 companies. Interview and survey techniques were employed to collect data. The strength of this study was integration of the diffusion of innovation (DOI) model, a widely accepted adoption and usage model.;The results of the study showed, as expected, the attainment of critical mass of E-mail users is most critical factor in influencing an individual's use of E-mail. Controlling for critical mass, perceived relative advantage was the most significant predictor of E-mail use, accounting for 12 percent of the variance in the level of E-mail use. Relative complexity showed a modest relationship with the usage. As hypothesized, computer self-efficacy influenced E-mail usage through perceived attributes of the system. The perceived attributes of E-mail that were examined consisted of perceived relative advantage, perceived compatibility, and perceived complexity. Previous experience showed a significant direct relationship with level of use, contradicting the hypothesis that perceived attributes of E-mail mediate the relationship between experience and usage. Task interdependence was not significantly related to E-mail use. In addition to future research implications, these finding has important implications for practitioners in managing and selecting telecommunication systems such as E-mail. |
