| The theory of task technology fit states that for a technology to be utilized it must meet the needs of a user. When the technology meets the user's needs and provides features that support the fit of the requirements of the task, performance impacts will result. The higher the fit, the higher the performance increase will be. High task-technology fit improves not only performance but also the likelihood of utilization, regardless of why the system is utilized. Utilization may be on a voluntary or mandatory basis. User evaluation of task-technology fit will be affected by the task requirements and the characteristics of the technology.; One of the essential emerging information system strategies is the implementation of knowledge management systems. Though there is no single universal definition of knowledge management systems, they include the capture, categorization and dissemination of tacit knowledge for the purpose of improving the overall effectiveness of an organization. Knowledge management as a process improves the organization's ability to execute its core processes more efficiently.; This study extends prior task-technology fit research to provide an empirical measure of the task-technology fit of knowledge management systems. Fourteen organizations that have implemented knowledge management systems were surveyed. These organizations consisted of government, manufacturing, financial services and consulting.; Three hypotheses were developed. The first was designed to test if there was a positive relationship between the use of knowledge management systems and whether they met the task requirements of users. The second hypothesis tested if there was a positive relationship between the individual characteristics of the users of knowledge management systems and systems usage. The third hypothesis combined the task requirements and individual characteristics to determine if there was a positive relationship between task-technology fit and the use of knowledge management systems. Multiple linear regression was used to provide statistical support indicating that there is a positive relationship between task-technology fit and the use of knowledge management systems. |
