Knowledge Management Information Technology User Acceptance: Assessing the Applicability of the Technology Acceptance Model

Abstract

This chapter presents the results of a study investigating the applicability of Davis’ technology acceptance model (TAM) to user acceptance of a knowledge management system (KMS) in a modern organizational environment. The objective of the study was to expand empirical research of two important and complex research questions: (1) What are the important factors, conditions, and mechanisms that affect people’s acceptance and usage of collaborative and interdependent KMS in the modern organizational environment? and (2) How applicable is the TAM and the substantial body of information technology (IT) research around this model to user acceptance and usage of a KMS in a modern organizational environment in which collaboration, knowledge sharing, and role-based system usage is necessary in order for the organization to function competitively? The study provided preliminary evidence suggesting that previous TAM research may serve as a foundation for research of KMS user acceptance. Relationships among primary TAM constructs found in this study were in substantive agreement with those of previous research. These findings are relevant and significant because they suggest that the considerable body of previous TAM-related IT research may be applied usefully to the knowledge management (KM) domain in which interdependent social processes that require knowledge creation, storage and retrieval, transfer, and application are required for effective organizational functioning.