RFID Assimilation Hierarchy

While much research has been conducted on the adoption of complex technologies, relatively little has addressed the post-adoption deployment of that technology. This research presents a hierarchy of RFID assimilation which proposes that the creation of supplier business value is dependent upon the depth of assimilation (extent of use). The hierarchy is grounded in industry observations of the difficulty of early adopters to fully realize the benefits of RFID assimilation. At the base level of the hierarchy is technology deployment, with the next level of data understanding, and, lastly, at the top of the hierarchy is business value creation. Each level of the hierarchy is explored and organizational examples are provided to illustrate the three developmental levels. The paper concludes by presenting four potential areas for future RFID assimilation research