The relationship between personality and computer technology acceptance for managers in the University of Malawi

Abstract

Computers have become an integral part of today’s work environment. While in the past, managers used services from their secretaries to perform most or all computer related assignments, today they are forced to check their own emails, type documents while away from the office, search for information on the Internet and make decisions on organization investments in computer technologies. It is therefore important to understand how ready and willing managers are to embrace computer technologies. To better predict, explain, and increase user acceptance, we need to understand why people accept or reject computer technologies, a concept known as Computer Technology Acceptance. On the other hand, personality is one factor that affects Technology Acceptance. It is defined as cognitive and behavioral patterns that show stability over time and across situations. The main objective of this study was to investigate if there is any relationship between personality traits and computer technology acceptance. Using available personality and Technology Acceptance measurement tools, a questionnaire (Appendix A) was used to collect data from a stratified random sample of managers in the University of Malawi. The SPSS package was used to analyze the data. Cross tabulations and Chi-square tests were done to find out if there are any relationships between personality and computer technology acceptance. Results have shown that there is a relationship between some personality traits and technology acceptance. The limitations of the research included the mobility of respondents who were not available during the study period. Most UNIMA staff members are very mobile people often travelling abroad for relatively long periods. The other limitation was the tendency by respondents to go with fashion by showing that they like computer technologies even though they may not.