The effect of task characteristics on intended and actual utilization of emerging technologies

An examination is given of the effect of task characteristics on the utilization of emerging technologies in organizations. Utilization measures were developed as a way to capture certain behavioral characteristics of effectiveness. An instrument, founded on existing conceptual and empirical literature, was created to measure and compare intended and actual utilization patterns of users of emerging technologies. The utilization measures were rigorously tested for statistical reliability and validity. It was found that intended utilization patterns differed significantly from actual utilization patterns along several task characteristics. From the data, it is recommended that managers struggling with the allocation of corporate resources assess both intended and actual utilization patterns over a continuous time period in order to identify areas where the two patterns diverge. This will allow managers to get a better handle on problem areas