Abstract

In this research-in-process paper, we develop a model for understanding employees’ use of Web 2.0 tools and applications, in the presence or absence of organizational adoption, for activities at the front-end of innovation. Web 2.0 applications often exhibit organic pathways to use, which differ from the IT department-led technology adoption more commonly studied. They share similarities with tasks at the front end of innovation. The former are highly structurable and given to flexible use. The latter, such as knowledge sharing, collaboration and information search are decentralized and unstructured. It is thus reasonable to assume that Web 2.0 tools should be beneficial for these tasks. Our model draws primarily from adaptive structuration theory, but also integrates concepts and constructs from theories of technology acceptance and task-technology fit. Implications for theory and practice are addressed.

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