Technology acceptance model (TAM)

The technology acceptance model (TAM) is a theory that attempts to predict the likelihood of an individual or organization successfully adopting a new system of technology. Developed in the 1980s by researcher Fred Davis, the TAM responded to concerns of business owners and others about some people's unfavorable attitudes toward technology and the failure of many new systems to work as intended. The TAM proposes that the features of the new technological system directly influence the motivation level of the potential users. This motivation level closely predicts the likelihood of users accepting and adopting the new system.

Background

Throughout history, technology has greatly affected the way people reach their goals, both personal and professional. The introduction of new technologies can help people, as well as businesses and other organizations, perform their necessary tasks more quickly and efficiently. However, successfully creating, applying, and using technology may present a variety of challenges.

Hundreds of years ago, people performed most work by hand and created most products one at a time. The introduction of simple tools and machines allowed people to increase both productivity and speed. This process of technological development continued into modern times, during which computers and other advanced technology have become crucial aspects of many industries. In addition, entirely new industries have arisen to design and help people use these machines, computers, software, and other technology.

Although technology has proved crucial in advancing many human occupations to their modern levels of productivity and efficiency, technology is not always easy to implement. Sometimes technology may be unreliable or too expensive to produce economically. Some of the most challenging difficulties, however, arise in the complex relationship between technology and the people who must adopt and use it.

For as long as technology has existed, people have resisted it. Some people believe that technology takes jobs away from human workers or reduces the "personal touch" that makes handmade goods and services special. Other people have resisted new technology because of its often high cost, which may represent a major and risky investment for individuals and small businesses. Still, other people have avoided technology because it can be difficult to implement and learn how to use properly.

These ideas and attitudes may seriously hamper the adoption or use of technology by an individual or organization. Although technologies may be powerful and advanced, they cannot function without human cooperation. People must purchase, install, operate, and maintain the various technologies. If these people are uncertain or unwilling, the effectiveness of the technology may be seriously threatened.

Overview

By the 1970s, computers and similar advanced technology had become more common in many parts of the world. New technologies, both for personal and organizational use, appeared on a regular basis. Despite the widespread use of technologies, people still faced the various challenges and attitudes that led many to resist accepting new technologies into their lives or businesses.

While many new technological systems were successfully adopted, many others were adopted but underperformed or failed and some were not adopted at all. Many leaders viewed this situation as a serious danger to the overall success of their organizations. Industrial and technological researchers began to study the relationship between people and technologies in the hope of predicting system adoption and use.

One of the most influential researchers was Fred Davis, a doctoral student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management. In his 1985 doctoral thesis, Davis proposed the technology acceptance model (TAM). The TAM attempted to create an equation by which analysts could predict whether a particular technological system would be accepted.

Davis suggested that the prediction could be made based on a few important factors. In its most basic sense, the TAM holds that the features and capabilities of the new system create a clear stimulus for potential users. Users react to this stimulus by forming attitudes and assuming some level of motivation—ranging from nonexistent to very high—to use the system. The result of this interplay is the predicted level of system acceptance. Davis developed his original TAM model based on this general formula.

The original TAM, often depicted as a horizontal graph of connected boxes, begins with the design characteristics of the new system (represented as X1, X2, X3, and so on). These characteristics will vary based on the system being analyzed. They may include such factors as the cost of the system, the projected learning time, and whatever benefits are likely to be gained from the system. For example, a new system at an accounting firm may promise to perform complex calculations quickly, store the information securely, and enable users to analyze the data in various ways.

These characteristics directly influence three interrelated factors that help to develop and explain the potential user's motivation level. The first factor is perceived ease of use. This factor asks whether the potential user believes the system will be easy or difficult to use. The second factor is perceived usefulness, which has assesses whether the user believes the system will be generally helpful in accomplishing needed tasks. These two factors may influence each other. For instance, a user who thinks a system will be easy to use will likely think it will be worth the effort and will be ultimately useful.

Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness combine to inform a third factor in motivation, the attitude toward using. This factor refers to the potential user's overall feelings about the system. If the user perceives an easy-to-use system that can greatly improve a task, the attitude will likely be very positive. Alternately, if the user expects the system will be more of a complication than a benefit, the attitude will likely be very negative.

In the TAM model, the factors perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and attitude toward using combine to create a prediction of actual system use. Many analysts and organizations throughout the 1980s and beyond accepted Davis's work and used it to study and predict their own system use. Many analysts, including Davis himself, experimented with the TAM by adding new factors and acknowledging other variables. Many TAM users customized the model to meet their own needs. Others use it as originally proposed but acknowledge that it may represent an oversimplification of the complex relationship between users and technology.

Bibliography

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