| Knowledge management strives for effective capture and application of organizational knowledge, a valuable resource imperative in sustaining an organization. In an effort to better achieve knowledge management initiatives, factors influencing increased adoption and usage of various technologies implemented as knowledge management systems are of considerable interest. Advances in technology have fostered new approaches to knowledge management in the form of web-based collaborative technologies supporting environments of social computing. Wiki technology is an emerging trend providing an effective knowledge management system with benefits of improved communication and collaboration, work processes, and knowledge sharing. Implementation of technological solutions are often deemed organizational innovations subject to potential problems of resistance as well as obstacles including organizational cultures lacking an environment conducive to effective knowledge creation and sharing. With Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) as a foundation, this research examines factors influencing adoption and usage of knowledge management systems, with further attention given to Wiki technology. The original IDT model is expanded to include an additional independent variable, Reciprocity Expectation, and a moderating variable, Personal Innovativeness in IT (PIIT). Results indicate that some factors are important in determining Adoption while others are important for Usage. Voluntariness, Result Demonstrability, Visibility and Reciprocity Expectation were found to be important factors having a significant positive impact on Adoption, while a counter-intuitive result is presented for Ease of Use due to a significant negative path. Relative Advantage, Trialability, and Visibility were found to be important factors having a significant positive impact on Usage. Preliminary analysis of Wiki technology indicated a different set of influential factors compared to traditional KMS. Also, the moderating effect of PIIT was much stronger for Wiki technology based systems. Post Hoc analysis provides further understanding of the results and avenues for future research. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed in the conclusion. This research contributes theoretical and empirical support for an extended IDT model, and a theoretical contribution to the growing body of research of Wiki technology. |
