Assimilation of Inter-Organizational Information Systems: Insight from Change Resistance Theory in Public Electronic Procurement

Public electronic procurement is an Internet-based inter-organizational information system (IOIS) that is intended to facilitate government-to-business (G2B) or government-to-government (G2G) electronic communication, information exchange and transaction support through web access or value-added network. This chapter is primarily built upon theoretical work in the IOIS adoption and diffusion area, and in particular on theories of technology assimilation. Stages of the assimilation process and the aggregation strategy have been explained in the context of public electronic procurement. Resistance theory is also discussed. We have argued that understanding both resistance variables and relevant change management interventions or moderators can be very useful in determining the extent of public e-procurement assimilation.