Does unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) reduce resistance and anxiety of individuals towards a new system?

Abstract

Purpose Technology acceptance is an incremental approach that has developed over the years. Taking technology acceptance or adoption literature into consideration, the paper aims to investigate the mediating role of adoption readiness, constructed on the basis of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), on the relationship between user resistance as well as user anxiety and attitude toward using a system. Design/methodology/approach In consideration of previous studies, the public personnel’s adaptation of electronic document management systems is within the scope of the present research. Gathering data from 262 administrative personnel working in a public university, explanatory and second-order confirmatory factor analyses were done for the UTAUT scale. In addition, reliability and construct validity were tested for each scale; UTAUT, user resistance, user anxiety and attitude toward using. Relationships among variables of the research were controlled by the measurement model and then the structural model was tested. Findings Confirming previous research, the scales of UTAUT, user resistance, user anxiety and attitude toward using were found to have acceptable reliability and internal consistency. In addition, the implications of the paper showed user resistance influenced attitude toward using indirectly, by affecting adoption readiness. It also indicated that adoption readiness fully mediated the relationship between user anxiety and attitude toward using. Originality/value Negative behavioral antecedents of UTAUT are the focus of the paper. Reducing the negative effects of resistance as well as anxiety of individuals on their attitudes using a system is emphasized in the technology acceptance literature. Furthermore, defining each dimension of UTAUT as a single construct, adoption readiness, and proving the intervening role of adoption readiness between user resistance, as well as anxiety, on the attitude toward using a system are contributions to the literature.