Factors affecting the acceptance of information systems supporting emergency operations centres

• A modified technology acceptance model including symbolic adoption and key antecedents.
• This model explained 65% of system acceptance among 383 emergency managers.
• Model mediated by performance expectations and moderated by user characteristics.
• Recommendations for implementing information systems for emergency management.
• Potentials highlighted for further research in this area.

Despite the recognition that information system acceptance is an important antecedent of effective emergency management, there has been comparatively very little research examining this aspect of technology acceptance. The current research responded to this gap in literature by adapting and integrating existing models of technology acceptance. This was done in order to examine how a range of technology acceptance factors could affect the acceptance of emergency operations centre information systems. Relationships between several of these factors were also examined. Questionnaire data from 383 end-users of four different emergency operations centre information systems were analysed using structural equation modelling. This analysis concluded that technology acceptance factors of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and information quality explained 65 percent of variance in symbolic adoption, which is a combination of mental acceptance and psychological attachment towards an information system. A number of moderating effects of age, gender, experience of use and domain experience were also identified. A mediating component, of performance expectancy, explained 49 percent of variance between facilitating conditions, information quality, effort expectancy, and resulting symbolic adoption. These findings highlight a need to re-focus technology acceptance research on both mediating and moderating effects and the importance of considering domain specific factors. Applied recommendations are also made, for successfully implementing relevant information systems.