Converging and diverging patterns of adopting new technology innovations : Embedded ethical issues

Purpose – To demonstrate that multidimensional information technologies (ITs) technologies could manifest different patterns of evolution because each dimension could be exposed to different forces of variation and selection. Design/methodology/approach – Commercial banks that adopted online banking services in the USA during 1995‐2000 are investigated. Findings – It is found that the technical dimension of online banking services tends to converge on some agreed upon practices, but the managerial dimension does not converge. Research limitations implications – This result implies that technical choices are less likely to offer opportunities for banks to differentiate one from another. The variation in managerial choices, however, allows banks to tailor their managerial practices to better support internal operations, which can generate competitive advantages for banks. Originality/value – Contrary to the traditional viewpoint that these environmental dimensions evolve in a uniform direction, the paper shows that multidimensional ITs manifest different patterns of evolution.