Barriers and enablers of technology adoption in the mining industry

Abstract

Technological innovations are recognised to directly contribute to sustained competitive advantage. They are particularly relevant in the mining sector, which deals with challenges of depleting access to resources and which urgently needs new solutions to remain sustainable and competitive. Technological innovations help mining firms reduce costs, lessen environmental impact, increase production and improve mineral recovery. Understanding barriers and enablers to technology adoption is important for the success of technology implementation efforts and sustainability of the mining sector. Previous studies on technology adoption have focused mainly on organisations in the manufacturing and service sectors. However, limited literature exists focusing on barriers to and enablers of technology adoption in the mining sector. Using data from 28 interviews with mining experts, this study identified five environmental- and four organisational-level barriers to technology adoption in mining. It also uncovered five enablers to overcome these barriers to achieve more successful technology adoption outcomes. In addition, two policy implications are proposed for mining firms to improve their technology adoption outcomes: (1) development of organisational norms and practices aligned with the culture of innovation and (2) development of sustainable practices to collaborate with external stakeholders. Future research directions to overcome the barriers and capitalise on the opportunities are also discussed.