Challenges in the adoption of E-Commerce technologies in India: The role of organizational factors

Organizations differ significantly in their inclination to deploy E-Commerce (EC) technologies. It is necessary to analyze the factors that determine the organizational inclination to deploy EC technologies because this would help firms design appropriate interventions in order to control it. This paper proposes a framework that explains the influence of organizational factors on the propensity to employ EC technologies. The framework is based on qualitative data on EC adoption from four firms in the financial services industry in India. It explains why organizations vary in their propensity to deploy EC technologies, and highlights the role of top management, aspects of organization culture, characteristics of Information Systems professionals, and organization structure. Overall, the paper provides a structure by which specific organizational drivers of EC deployment can be analyzed and controlled and relevant managerial issues can be addressed.