Technology adaptation: the case of implementing a collaborative product commerce system to new product design

Applying advanced information technology (AIT) to an enterprise can precipitate unexpected outcomes. This is especially true when dealing with new product development (NPD). The NPD process contains many sub-processes in which the design project team has complicated interactions with related departments. The essence of technology adaptation is to make an analysis of structure change in organization, in order to adjust to the impact brought about by technology. Past research in this field of exploratory investigation is relatively scarce. This study proposes a revised technology adaptation model and conducts a case study where collaborative product commerce (CPC) system is implemented in a motorcycle company. Given the complication of AIT, process theory is applied to predict the impact of CPC on the aspects document access, and information and knowledge sharing. Results showed that these three aspects had their appropriations and discrepancy events. Then, the results further represented the adaptation methods and the emergent structures. As CPC project often involves with high risk, the pattern of analysis adopted in this study can serve as a benchmark for measuring the impact of implementing CPC system.