Information technology push/pull reactions

Abstract Innovation has not only become the domain of a few progressive enterprises but the key to success of many others. Innovative changes in management practices can assist in ensuring survival in an increasingly competitive world. Management information systems are critical to exploiting technological, process, and product innovations. Improvements in information technology continue to have a major impact on information systems. The relationships between different sources of new information technology and reactions of organizations are critical to adopting and exploiting innovations. These relationships are empirically tested using a growing and important systems innovation, Electronic Data Interchange. Two principal types of impetus are explored, technological-push and demand-pull forces. They are found to produce different external, internal, and cost/benefits. Further, the impetus for the usage of the system affects evaluations of systems, information, and management of systems. Technological-push requires user accessibility and support. The benefits are more clearly identifiable with demand-pull. Internal demand-pull results in the highest levels of benefits but is infrequently the major source of impetus. Comparisons of organization reactions to technological-push and demand-pull indicate that different management strategies and practices are required. Industries are affected differently depending on the impetus for change. Recommendations are made for managing the changing pattern of information technology innovation.