Adoption and appropriation: towards a new theoretical framework. An exploratory research on mobile technologies in French companies

The objective of this research is to propose an alternative theoretical model that goes beyond the well-accepted separation between adoption and appropriation. The theoretical analysis of appropriation ignores the question of adoption of the technology. As mobile technologies can be used for private or business purposes, and because employees have often a prior experience with mobile technologies before joining a company, the linkage between adoption and appropriation of mobile technologies should be taken into account at the theoretical level. The uses developed at the individual level, outside the company environment and before entering the company, can influence organizational usage and the processes of appropriation at the organizational level. Our purpose in this article is to see if there us a link between mobile technology adoption and appropriation, and usage. We first present the numerous specific characteristics of mobile technologies that generate paradoxical effects for the user. We then examine the traditional models of adoption to show their limitations, specifically in the case of mobile technologies. The principal models of appropriation are then discussed. An exploratory empirical study, involving 76 managers in eight French companies is presented to understand the logic of adoption and the uses of mobile technologies. This research highlights the complex logic of adoption and usage that diverges from the existing models that are discussed in the theoretical section. In the final part of the paper, the discussion of the results makes it possible to outline a new theoretical framework that combines the adoption process and the appropriation process. Key-words: Adoption, Appropriation, Mobile technologies, Mobile phone, Laptop computer