The impact of legitimacy-based motives on IS adoption success: An institutional theory perspective

•Institutional pressures influence the success of information systems (IS) adoption via two success determinants.•Coercive and normative pressure influence the chosen project management approach.•Only mimetic but not normative pressure influences project team competence.•Formality of the project management approach influences team competence.•Project management approach and team competence influence IS adoption success.

Firms frequently adopt new information systems (IS). To better understand IS adoption, research has been focused on motives for an IS adoption. In this study, three legitimacy-based motives (coercive, mimetic, and normative pressure) are examined for their impact on two success determinants (i.e., project management approach and team competence) and the subsequent impact of the success determinants on IS adoption success. In a quantitative study of Australian firms, we found that coercive pressure and normative pressure influence the project management approach, whereas mimetic pressure influences team competence. Both the project management approach and team competence in turn influence IS adoption success.