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Innovation and technological change is a vital driving force in the economy. Ute Hillmer investigates technology acceptance behavior in the mechatronics industry in Germany and develops a multi-disciplinary understanding, which includes psychology, sociology and business science. It is shown that individuals accept new technologies more easily, if the technology replicates their individual social values and if the implementation process considers the prime social values that can typically be found in their social networks. This book offers categorizations of individuals and deduces recommendations for actions to sustainably improve the development and introduction of technologies for all parties concerned.
E-Book Content
Ute Hillmer Technology Acceptance in Mechatronics
GABLER RESEARCH
Ute Hillmer
Technology Acceptance in Mechatronics The Influence of Identity on Technology Acceptance
RESEARCH
Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de.
Dissertation University of East London, Business School, 2009
1st Edition 2009 All rights reserved © Gabler | GWV Fachverlage GmbH, Wiesbaden 2009 Editorial Office: Claudia Jeske | Nicole Schweitzer Gabler is part of the specialist publishing group Springer Science+Business Media. www.gabler.de No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. Registered and/or industrial names, trade names, trade descriptions etc. cited in this publication are part of the law for trade-mark protection and may not be used free in any form or by any means even if this is not specifically marked. Cover design: KünkelLopka Medienentwicklung, Heidelberg Printed on acid-free paper Printed in Germany ISBN 978-3-8349-1951-9
Acknowledgements
V
Acknowledgements This dissertation is the result of five years of research and twenty years of practical experience. It was a journey through areas of existing, often untypical knowledge domains in order to investigate and interpret patterns of experience, gathered through many years as a practitioner. During this journey, I expanded my understanding and consciousness considerably regarding the variety of perspectives available. As a result, there appears to be a more open, new understanding, not only in the context of technology adoption, but in understanding human behaviour. I would like to thank numerous ‘travelling companions‘ from research and practice. In numerous discussions, they helped me stay in touch with reality. They opened doors, and gave stimulating and helpful suggestions: Henry Blum, Prof. Dr. Kazem Chaharbaghi, Dr. Sandy Cripps, Jürgen Häberle, Reinhard Hamburger, Dr. Marco Litto, Prof. Dr. Paul Privateer, Dr. Thomas Roser, Volker Schiek. Special thanks also to the designers and managers, who participated in this research. I am grateful that they supported this study by giving me access to their thoughts and feelings. Journeys are exciting and inspiring, but at times, they can be very tiresome and exhausting. It is during these journeys that the love and understanding of family and close friends are priceless. My love to my kids Franka and Ben for blessing my life and who in the cause of this time learned that a doctor is not necessarily a physician, to my husband Roland for his understanding patience and my parents Hilde and Günter for their ongoing support. Dr. Ute Hillmer
Index
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Index Acknowledgements Index List of Abbreviations List of Figures List of