Profiles of innovation in business‐to‐business e‐commerce

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to throw light on both motivation for adoption of innovative technologies, as well as identifying critical organisational factors influencing effective implementation. Design/methodology/approach - Three case studies have been conducted in Australian companies involved in the use of business‐to‐business enabling technologies. The multiple design approach was chosen in order to provide robust findings across a group of similar sites, with the possibility of replicated and comparative results providing extra clarity and insight. Findings - These three cases provide evidence to suggest that at the same time the three theoretical approaches examined – organisational innovativeness, diffusion of innovations and process theory – are found to be individually and collectively present as explanatory models of innovation adoption. Research limitations/implications - This paper is limited to Australian firms using technologies for the management of their supply chains. The number of firms studied also represents a limitation and generalization of findings therefore needs to be approached with caution. Practical implications - The practical implication is that adoption and use of innovations is highly situational, and therefore needs to be researched using methods that enable the context to be incorporated and understood. Originality/value - The evidence indicates that the innovation adoption puzzle can be explained less by a single theory generalised across broad populations of organisations, than perhaps by the complex interplay of all three theories in the context of an individual organisation.