An investigation of the effects of cultural differences on physicians’ perceptions of information technology acceptance as they relate to knowledge management systems

• Collectivists put more weight on the perceived ease of use than individualists do.
• High power distance has a greater positive relationship for subjective norms-behavioral intention than in low power distance.
• Physicians consider KMSs, whether they belong to high or low uncertainty avoidance.
• Physicians have stronger motivation to adopt KMSs in a low-context culture.

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of national cultural differences on physicians’ perceptions of knowledge management systems acceptance. Data is collected from 106 physicians in the United States and 255 physicians in Taiwan who agreed to participate in the investigation, and a t-test is used to compare the path coefficients for each moderator. Cultural differences were found to impact knowledge management system acceptance. The results reveal that individualism/collectivism, power distance, and high-context/low-context cultural characteristics account for the significant differences between the U.S. and Taiwan in this regard. Theoretical issues related to technology acceptance which lay beyond the scope of this investigation and other issues related to cultural differences may have had an impact on the research findings. This study can assist in the management of healthcare organizations by adding to the knowledge regarding the acceptance and development of management systems. The findings provide insight into the cultural differences which influence physicians’ perceptions about knowledge management systems acceptance, and have implications for improving the knowledge relating to management systems acceptance in healthcare organizations.