科技採用中斷：電子採購系統中合作結構的調準失靈

Discontinuance of Technology Adoption: Misalignments in Collaboration Structure in E-Procurement Systems Adoption

本研究旨在從組織與科技調準分析科技採用的中斷問題。當代文獻認為，科技的採用可被視為組織與科技之間達成調準。在科技採用過程中，組織的元素（如策略、結構、流程等）必須與科技建立一種相稱、協調的關係，科技採用的效益才會顯現。然而，科技與組織間相稱或協調的關係，並不是一種常態性關係，而是暫時性的。採用科技之後，可能會因為時間流動或環境變遷，而改變組織與科技的調準關係。一旦調準關係消失，科技與組織之間無法恢復再次調準時，科技採用的危機就會出現。本研究以質化研究分析一家筆記型電腦代工廠的電子採購系統，說明該公司如何因為科技與組織間發生「合作結構」的調準失靈，造成電子採購系統的採用中斷。結果發現，電子採購系統初期的採用之所以會成功，是因為系統內含的「合作結構」能與企業採購活動的「合作結構」，達成相互調準。當企業採購活動改變後，採購系統不能再和企業的採購活動持續調準，將造成系統採用中斷。本研究之發現將加深對科技採用問題的理解，並擴展科技調準理論之內涵。

Technology adoption discontinuance is a phenomenon related to technology failures. In the paper, I analyze this phenomenon from a perspective of organization-IT alignment. The perspective suggests that effective technology adoption depends on the attainment of the alignment between organizational elements and technological features. However, despite an organization has achieved alignment, the organizational context may change as the environment evolves. In this situation, technological features may not fulfill the requirements of the organization. When a low alignment or misalignment occurs, the technology adoption would fail. Based on this view, in the study, I apply the qualitative research to report a case of e-procurement system, and to analyze how misalignments in system adoption would induce the adoption discontinuance. The case analysis reveals that the adoption of e-procurement system requires a “collaboration structure” alignment between the system and organizational activities. However, the initial success of system adoption is not transferred to the later application. After supply chain migration, organization’s procurement activities have a fundamental transformation. The shift in the procurement activities causes an incompatibility of collaboration structure between the system and the organization. As a result, the e-procurement system is considered inapplicable for supporting the altered procurement activities, and thereby the system becomes obsolete. The findings could enhance the theoretical development on the technology adoption and provide new insights with regard to organization-IT alignment/misalignment.