The Importance of User Design in the Adoption of New Information Technologies: The Example of Production and Inventory Control Systems (PICS)

Given the importance of information technology in today′s society an understanding of the process by which technologies are diffused within and between societies is clearly important. Presents a model of this diffusion process which has been developed on the basis of an extensive research programme looking at the diffusion of production and inventory control systems within the components sector of British industry. This model suggests attention needs to be paid to three factors – the technological innovation itself, the vendors/suppliers of the innovation, and the user organization. Highlights the practical utility of this approach.