Factors for the adoption of blockchain technology in an electronic document management organisation

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify factors that influence the adoption of blockchain technology (BCT) in an EDM organization employing the Technology, Organization and Environment (TOE) framework. Understanding why and how an innovation is accepted in a system, has developed many theories for a long period of time, evolving from Roger Von Everett’s Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DoT) (2015) all the way through, and beyond, the TOE framework developed by Tornatzky and Fleischer (1990). BCT is an innovation that gained popularity through cryptocurrencies where it is used to create a peer-to-peer network which records monetary transactions removing the need for a centralized database. The cryptographic architecture of BCT promotes promising data security features that industries outside of Finance can benefit from. Electronic Document Management Systems are technologies which maintain, store, manage and even distribute electronic documents. Research concerning the utilization of BCT within these systems has been done before. This study however focuses on the organizations who develop these systems and offer the product as a service. The research questions are geared towards identifying the factors that contribute to the decision to adopt an innovation in three organizational elements which mirror the TOE framework. A mixed method case study approach was employed using a sequential design that integrates the qualitative technique with a light quantitative method. The development of rating scale survey questions alongside interview questions was designed to systematically address the three elements of an organization as defined by the TOE framework. Furthermore, each element comprises key constructs which have been noted in previous studies, of which, a selected few constructs were chosen for this study in light of time constraints. The survey questions were administered via online forms platform which assisted in the data collection management process for further analysis and the interviews were conducted via various means, either face-to-face or a virtual meeting. The results of the two methodologies were first collated into categories, defined by the relevant construct and element, thereafter a comparison was made to derive insight into the most dominating construct. The survey questions had a many-to-many relationship link with the constructs and so a descriptive statistical analysis was done based on combined mean value calculations. Prevailing themes were highlighted in the qualitative part of the study depicting a pattern which contributed to the overarching findings of the existence of a knowledge gap related to BCT. The two results were then juxtaposed to comprehensively investigate the underlying reasoning behind each response. This study managed to systematically highlight the associations made between all constructs through cross-element examination and mixed method result interpolation. The analysis of the results postulates that top management support is the dominating key construct found in the organization context and this construct coherently affects the dominating constructs in the other elements. Relative advantage and competitive pressure appeared to be the most prominent constructs in the technology element and environment element respectively. This research contributes to the body of knowledge in the field of the adoption of blockchain technology in EDM organizations. Furthermore, it has a footprint in various domains -theoretical, methodological and practical. It provides theoretical insight into the utilization of the TOE framework in a cross-elemental examination and concurrently highlights a strategic approach to the complex nature of a mixed-method case study. Practically, this study establishes a systematic evaluation of an organization’s position in determining if and how it should adopt an innovation, or not. In conclusion, the research objectives have been successfully achieved by identifying the factors that influence the adoption of BCT in an EDM organization, the key construct being top management support. Whilst the purpose and aim of the study have been reached, further investigation is recommended to gain deeper insights into a multitude of constructs across multiple organizations