An Analysis of the Effect of Organizational Factors on the Intention to Use ICT in Social Work Practice

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors influencing social workers' intention to use ICT by considering the characteristics of social welfare activities, which are professional activities in an organizational context. To this end, both quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted on the Extended Technology Acceptance Model (ETAM), which identified top executive leadership and organizational innovativeness as organizational factors and perceived ease and usefulness of ICT as individual factors. The results of a survey of 316 social workers at community welfare centers, welfare centers for the disabled, and senior welfare centers across the country showed that organizational factors did not have direct influences on the intention to use ICT. Instead, the positive effect of organizational innovativeness on the intention to use ICT was mediated by the perceived usefulness of ICT, and the effect of top executive leadership on the intention to use ICT was mediated by organizational innovativeness and the perceived usefulness of ICT. Focus group interviews (FGI) with 12 social workers also revealed that top executives' positive perception of ICT use and challenge-oriented organizational culture were recognized as factors that fostered social workers’ ICT introduction and utilization. Based on these results, the importance of organizational efforts led by top executives in the process of developing new services and programs, such as applying ICT, was suggested.