The adoption of new technology among small Canadian oil and gas firms

One of the critical determinants of success for many small-sized enterprises has been the management of technological change. It is therefore increasingly relevant for scholars to understand more fully how small sized enterprises try, adopt, discontinue or reject new technologies.;This study examines the innovation decision process among small oil and gas firms. It does so by explaining the technology adoption decision process so as to identify the factors influencing the trialability, adoption, discontinuance or rejection of new information technologies among small oil and gas firms.;Background conditions and forces that bear on the adoption or rejection of new technology in small firms include market opportunities, requirements and problems, the knowledge development or users' motivation and skill, the relative advantage of the technology and the decision-making process. These factors are identified and illustrated through ten highly focused case studies. The sample was purposive, rather than random. Small oil and gas firms with less than 100 employees were selected on the basis contact with a involved in demonstrating the portable digitizer.;Adopter category 'stages' were identified, stratifying small firms into clusters representing the trialability and adoption, or discontinuance and rejection stages of the innovation process as set out by Rogers (1995). The technology-innovation process model was used as a template to examine the decision-making process influencing adoption or rejection of the portable digitizer, which is a device used to digitize geological and geophysical information.;In summary, market opportunities seemed remarkably different for the two populations. Adopters were more involved in the international arena, extending market opportunities through exploration and development. Rejecters were more involved in acquiring other firms in a 'financial play' to extend market opportunities.;The two populations also had different technology uses and needs. Adopters used the innovation to digitize data for new international projects. Rejecters used more traditional tools to produce and display their product. The difference between adopters and rejecters is that adopters appeared sufficiently motivated to try a new technology, while rejecters appeared to be more accepting of technological limitations.