Adoption of emerging ICTs: The role of actors in a social network

Figures & data

Figure 1. Interplay between the human and non-human actors in socio-technical network.

Table 1. Interview profile

Case	Status of the interviewee	Frequency
A1, B2, C3	Managers/owners	3
A1, B2, C3	Security and social media executives	3
A1, B2, C3	IT managers	3
A1, B2, C3	Service-support executives	3
D4, E5, F6	IT consultants	3
G7, H8, Q9	IT designer/developers	3
J10, K11, L12	IT/marketers/vendors	3

Table 2. Case organizations

Case	Technology exploitation	Firm size	Technology exploitation behavioral capability	Year formed
A	Uses technology to create interaction and to resolve managerial issues.	Approximately 10 ICT operators	PoS used mainly as mobile payment device	2010
B	Routine uses of technology to enact, develop, refine, and routinize specific and substantive actions	Approximately 20 ICT operators.	Almost all critical operations/areas are characterized by integration with technology. PoS is used too	2000
C	Not so much is done in using technology to create interaction and to resolve managerial issues.	Approximately 8 ICT operators.	Software is used to secure customer-interface	2006
D-L	Develops and consults for firms IT software and applications that integrate operations and strengthens inter-firm’s alignment	Very small outfits, staff strength ranges from 3 to 9	Vast in software manipulations and renders services to firms of all sizes	2011–2014

Table 3. Reliability analysis

Scope	Number of judges	Reliability result
		First two judges	Second two judges
Factors	4	0.87	0.83

Table 4. Key activities in each instrument with supporting evidences

Instrument	Case evidence	Cross-case support
Inscription	For small enterprises like ours, adoption decision is basically the business of the key actors (that is owners/managers), who sometimes seek the assistance of external parties (e.g. IT experts and vendors, IT consultants, and customers) to shape their interest and value structure. Supposedly the key actors possess innovative mindset and go to influence other actors to embrace their interests and expectations; they define the interests and roles based on internal and external forces and influence other actors and ensure support for their initiatives (B2)	A1, C3, D4, E5, F6, G7, H8, Q9, J10, K11, L12
	Customers and government agencies are the only entities that challenge key actors’ decisions (B2). Customers are much more informed and empowered; they take control, resist the intended interest and alter beliefs and values. Whatever we do, the customer sovereignty remains high; customer interest drives the wheel (C3). The users’ inputs are invaluable because they look at it from the perspective of what they want to see from the system. They contribute immensely in terms of what we want and what we do not want from the system (D4). [–] lots of organization would have a chain of customers so what they [–] may use these customers to seek for some unmatched competencies (B2). It is ideal to address clash of interest to avoid losing your customers (A1)	E5, F6, G7, H8, Q9, J10, K11, L12
	Legislation drives action [–] which technology can emerge [–] that is what will drive organization to make changes which will impact the way they do business [Such legislation] can be anything simple as government changing tariffs or removing fuel subsidy and how does the organization deal with the fact that it is going to affect its invoicing [–], all its customer pricing and the fact the organization will notify its customers that such is actually happening? (A1)	B2, C3, E5, Q9, D4, F5, L12
	Government through CBN, NCC and other agencies has been singing loud on different incentive packages (e.g., tax holidays, financial support, training, and advice) to encourage small and medium enterprises to adopt IT-based innovations and to be job creators but to date no meaningful implementation. Taking ordinary small amount of money in the form of loan demands lots and lots of stringent and frustrating conditions. There are no follow-ups to ensure promises are actually achieved. Many of us are left to ourselves to operate within the confine of cash and experience (B2)	A1, C3, D4, E5, F6, G7, H8, Q9, K11, L12
	Government programmes are not serving the overall needs of small businesses. We are aware how developed and emerging nations have been improving upon their economy through ICT; something has to be done urgently by the current administration of President Mohammadu Buhari (C3)	A1, B2, D4, E5, F6, G7, H8, K11, L12
Translation	The stage is quite stressful; you can imagine that IT experts would work out programmes that would ordinarily facilitate our operations, to them the programmes are perceived simple but to many of us the programmes are something complex to understand in the context of our operations. Many of us do not have the patient to engage in complex learning; effortlessness matters in any IT programmes (A1)	C3, B2, D4, E5, H8, K11, L12
	As a fairly medium business we do not have bunch of 10 web developers setting in an office [–] when we have projects we outsource the projects to outsource developers however, they need to access the company internal information and keep up to how the company do business (C3)	B2, A1, D4, E5, F6, G7, H8
	Surprisingly consultants whom we expect to help us as small and medium businesses show untrustworthiness despite our heavy reliance on them; they us what we want to hear and not what will help us improve our business processes because they fear losing us (C3)	A1, B2
	Most times the issue we usually have with customers (key actors) is that they have a fix idea of what they wanted. And I don’t just sell solutions. [–] I take into consideration what is trendy, what is going to move their market. I also take into consideration my make because that is very important; that is, the quality of what I do. So usually we tend to have conflict of interests and this can lead us stopping the project (A1)	B2, C3, D4, E5, F6, G7, H8, Q9, K11, L12
	Some applications that run very well in one system may not in other systems; we have to identify the requirement and methodology for the software for our client. [–]. It is our responsibility to make it clear [–] (B2)	C3, D4, E5, F6, G7, H8, Q9
	From management’s point of view we need to control; look at cost and the value each of the solution will add to the business (C3)	B2, E5, F6, G7, H8, Q9, K11, L12
Framing	When first developed, the original package was difficult to understand (G7)	B2, C3, A1, B2, G7, H8
	Software is never perfect. There are things we overlook and [–] those developing the software will not overlook. As a software developer I have to test it in house and also send for my client to come and test it [–].We have to follow the entire requirement and if we develop, we communicate back to our clients (K11)	B2, C3, D4, E5, F6, G7, H8, Q9, L12
	I get a wide range of people; I put them in an environment and time them because I know what I am looking for. If they have issues, I go back to resolve that and then call back again for testing. When completed I now call the client to evaluate the product (L12)	B2, C3, D4, E5, F6, G7, H8, Q9, K11
	[–] it is possible consultants could introduce issues and misunderstand the users and what the requirement is. We are checking what has been produced to see that it is in line with the requirements.[–] we are testing against the requirement to see that the quality of the application is good and user friendly to make life easier for the user audiences (C1)	B2, A1
	We reject a technology because it was used longer than it was required [–]; it is complicated and does not save us time. So we had to tell them to take some part off (B1)	A1, C3
	User acceptance testing where customers are invited to attest the suitability of the product at the early stage of development (Q9). We tried it internally and with three of our clients externally because we don’t want counter chain reaction resulting from some error while the process is on, we test and retest (E5)	D4, E5, F6, G7, H8, Q9, K11, L12
Stabilization	[–] I do not need to ask the employees, I am in a position to make that decision because I know what will benefit the business. So I don’t need to boarder them rather, [–] I talk to the company to make it quicker, and get it implemented (A1)
	Employees are important because they run the system; they give feedback on where the system has weaknesses and how to enhance it and what package we may need. That gives us a better idea on the package we may need in future (C3)	A1, B2, D4, E5, F6, G7, H8, Q9, K11, L12
	When you are an entrepreneur you need to act fast [and] to continue to evolve. You must always have that mentality. [–] we are already starting looking for the other technologies that add to our competitiveness. Perhaps, this is because there are other things that are better. [–] Am really looking at the next evolvement of the whole process (A1)	C3, B2, D4, E5, F6, G7, H8, Q9, K11, L12