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This study explores factors promoting and inhibiting advanced technology adoption in small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms (SMEs). With AI’s rapid advancement impacting productivity and efficiency across industries, understanding the challenges that SMEs face to remain competitive is crucial. Utilizing the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model as a theoretical framework, we analyzed managers, engineers, and line workers’ observations on workforce challenges, training needs, and opportunities faced by SMEs to provide insights into their smart manufacturing deployment experiences. Our findings highlight social influence’s role in promoting technology adoption, emphasizing community, shared experiences, and collaborative networks. Conversely, effort expectancy emerged as the largest inhibitor, with concerns about the complexity, time, and resources required for implementation. Individuals were also influenced by factors of facilitating conditions (organizational buy-in, infrastructure, etc.) and performance expectancy on their propensity to adopt advanced technology. By fostering positive organizational environments and communities that share success stories and challenges, we suggest this can mitigate the perceived effort expected to implement new technology. In turn, SMEs can better leverage AI and other advanced technologies to maintain global competitiveness. The research contributes to understanding technology adoption dynamics in manufacturing, providing a foundation for future workforce development and policy initiatives.
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Investigating Technology Adoption Soon After Sustaining a Spinal Cord Injury
A spinal cord injury (SCI) typically results in a sudden change to an individual's motor function. People's adoption of technology soon after a severe SCI is crucial, since they must relearn most technology interactions to adjust to their new physical abilities and regain independence. This study examines how individuals adopt technologies soon after sustaining a severe SCI. By qualitatively analyzing the perspectives of ten rehabilitation clinicians, three individuals who recently sustained an SCI, and two of those participants' family members, we surfaced a spectrum of individuals' motivations to adopt technology post-injury and highlight the challenges they face to adopt technology. Our findings highlight the need to incorporate the holistic experience---including technology literacy, perception of support, and acceptance of the new-normal---in technology design for individuals who have a sudden change to motor functions. Our findings show that technology adoption is a critical component for the overall adjustment of post-SCI life. Finally, we use the extended version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to make recommendations for more inclusive assistive design.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2146420
- PAR ID:
- 10585077
- Publisher / Repository:
- ACM
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies
- Volume:
- 8
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2474-9567
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1 to 24
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1145/3643507
