The effect of service employees’ technology readiness on technology acceptance

As much of the work of service employees is supported by IT, the quality of the service often depends on how the technology is used. Most employees only use a fraction of the functionality available on their desk-top. This may also depend on their personality. We performed research on the relationship of personality and technology acceptance. In our study we combined the technology readiness index (TRI) and TAM into one model. Specifically, we measured the relation between TRIs personality trait dimensions – optimism, innovativeness, discomfort, and insecurity – and the cognitive dimensions of TAM. Data was collected from 810 employees of a multi-site financial service provider. Analysis revealed that personality traits had the expected impact on user perceptions. Surprisingly, Innovativeness was negatively related to usefulness.