Effect of Organizational Culture during Crises on adoption of virtual classrooms: An extension of UTAUT model

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study aims to understand the impact of organizational culture in the context of obligatory adoption of a virtual classroom (VC) during the COVID pandemic. The academic crisis created by the pandemic resulted in obligatory adoption of VCs, without being mandated by top management. Organizational culture was tested by this crisis, and thus created a unique opportunity to examine adoption. This research examines Organizational Culture during Crises (OCC) as an antecedent to the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model to evaluate the factors that determine the intention to adopt a virtual classroom across multiple disciplines by the faculty of a reputed Indian university. Data collected from a sample of 353 respondents was analyzed to test the research model using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings of the study reveal that OCC plays a positive and significant role in determining the intention of faculties to adopt a virtual classroom. We also found that OCC also significantly influences performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions and social influence. The results imply proper framing of policies by top management of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) for the smooth adoption of virtual classrooms by faculty when confronted by crises.