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The role of organizational culture in innovation adoption: Teaching through the Internet in specialized schools of business
DISSERTATION

, University of Michigan, United States

University of Michigan . Awarded

Abstract

This study examined the role that organizational culture plays in the process of innovation adoption within specialized schools of business, which focus on the professional education of mid-career adults. Faculty (n = 451) at these schools were surveyed about their perceptions of program culture as well as their perceptions and adoption of nine Internet-based innovations used in their teaching and of four Internet-based course-content topics. The conceptual model guiding this study synthesized Rogers' (1995) diffusion of innovations model with the Cameron & Ettington (1988) organizational culture model (based on the Competing Values Framework). The ability to predict adoption using this model was tested through linear regression.

The presence of the Adhocracy culture (innovation and development, individual initiative, and unique outputs), and the absence of the Hierarchy culture (formal procedures, success measured by efficiency, and predictability in management), were significant in predicting adoption of Internet-based course content, typically a group decision. Also significant were perceptions that the innovation was easy to try, positive opinions of administrators and faculty at the respondents' institutions, and race (being white). Culture was not found to predict the adoption of the Internet for teaching, a more solitary pursuit, but was predicted by perceptions of an easy-to-try innovation, by lower-ranked, white faculty who have a propensity to adopt innovation early, working in social systems that use individual decisions. These schools are predominantly Hierarchy culture types, which likely impedes strategic moves toward Internet innovations in teaching. Future research is suggested.

Citation

Ball, S.R. The role of organizational culture in innovation adoption: Teaching through the Internet in specialized schools of business. Ph.D. thesis, University of Michigan. Retrieved March 19, 2024 from .

This record was imported from ProQuest on October 23, 2013. [Original Record]

Citation reproduced with permission of ProQuest LLC.

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