Communication during intraorganizational innovation adoption: Predicting users' behavioral coping responses to innovations in organizations

Abstract

Much empirical evidence suggests that explanations for innovation outcomes should be located in an understanding of users' responses to innovations (Ashford, 1988; Fulk, 1993; Lewis & Seibold, 1993; Miller, Johnson, & Grau, 1994; Poole & DeSanctis, 1990). Unfortunately, researchers have neglected to pursue systematic studies of behavioral responses to innovations in accounting for particular innovation outcomes. The investigation reported draws on previous research that isolated three dimensions of interaction‐based coping responses: favorableness, decidedness, and focus (self vs. other). The present study tests the relative effects of several antecedents to users' (N= 216) behavioral coping responses to quality programs in four organizations. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that users' attitudes, concerns for performance, normative influence, and uncertainty, and their perceptions of the context of change affect each of the three dimensions of their behavioral coping responses.