The Effect of Individual’s Technological Belief and Usage on their Absorptive Capacity towards their Learning Behaviour in the Learning Environment

Dolmark, Thomas Louis

The Effect of Individual’s Technological Belief and Usage on their Absorptive Capacity towards their Learning Behaviour in the Learning Environment

Dolmark, Thomas Louis

Permalink

Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2020

Open Access

Copyright Clearance Process

Recently Added
In Progress
Open Access

This item is open access.

Adobe PDF

Download contents and abstractAdobe PDF (269.65 kB)

Adobe PDF

Download thesisAdobe PDF (3.15 MB)

View statistics

Full metadata record

Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Dolmark, Thomas Louis
dc.date.accessioned	2020-11-12T02:31:31Z
dc.date.available	2020-11-12T02:31:31Z
dc.date.issued	2020
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/143932
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.	en_AU
dc.description.abstract	While hard to define, knowledge is critical for organisational success. Organisations who know this spend a significant amount of resources to manage it. In organisations, there are three common barriers to knowledge transfer which are causal ambiguity, relation between knowledge holder and recipient, and recipient’s Absorptive CAPacity (ACAP). Horizontal organizational structures appear to be an effective solution to causal ambiguity and relation between knowledge holder and recipient because they allow knowledge to flow across organisational silos. The recipient’s ACAP is defined as a dynamic capability to absorb knowledge. While the content and its context are important for knowledge transfer, technology can also enhance learning. This study addressed the gap in knowledge by examining the role of Technology Readiness (TR), Tools for Knowledge Sources (TKS), Social Influences (SI) and Social Networks (SN) in an individual's ACAP towards learning behaviour. The research addresses the following research question. What is the effect of an individual's technological belief and use on their capability to absorb knowledge towards their technological learning behaviour? A research model is proposed to empirically test the relationship between TR and individual's ACAP towards learning behaviour. As beliefs affect behaviour, the TRI measures an individual's propensity towards technology. Other antecedents such as TKS, SI and SN may also have an effect on an individual’s ACAP. To assess behaviour under control of an individual the Individual Work Performance (IWP) was adapted towards learning behaviours. To test the presence of a causal effect, this study applied a quantitative approach to confirm theories. A survey was conducted at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). An online questionnaire was used to collect data from students. A total of 199 participated in the survey. This questionnaire borrowed items from other academic peer reviewed journals. The data were analysed using the Partial Least Square (PLS)-Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach. The PLS approach had many benefits such as being flexible and the use of formative and reflective indicators. A High order Construct (HC) allowed abstraction in the research model. The disjoint two-stage approach enabled further validation of the measurement model in its second stage. The results generated mixed findings. Among the different hypotheses enumerated, the individual’s technological belief in Optimism and Innovation, and the SN had a significantly very weak effect on individual ACAP which in turn had a significantly weak effect on their learning behaviour. This study highlighted the need to assess individual ACAP and learning behaviour.	en_AU
dc.format	Thesis (MSc(CompSc))
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.relation	https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/143932/2/02whole.pdf
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/ppc
dc.rights	The author owns the copyright in this thesis including all reproduction and reuse rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title	The Effect of Individual’s Technological Belief and Usage on their Absorptive Capacity towards their Learning Behaviour in the Learning Environment	en_AU
dc.type	Thesis
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*

Abstract:

While hard to define, knowledge is critical for organisational success. Organisations who know this spend a significant amount of resources to manage it. In organisations, there are three common barriers to knowledge transfer which are causal ambiguity, relation between knowledge holder and recipient, and recipient’s Absorptive CAPacity (ACAP). Horizontal organizational structures appear to be an effective solution to causal ambiguity and relation between knowledge holder and recipient because they allow knowledge to flow across organisational silos. The recipient’s ACAP is defined as a dynamic capability to absorb knowledge. While the content and its context are important for knowledge transfer, technology can also enhance learning. This study addressed the gap in knowledge by examining the role of Technology Readiness (TR), Tools for Knowledge Sources (TKS), Social Influences (SI) and Social Networks (SN) in an individual's ACAP towards learning behaviour. The research addresses the following research question. What is the effect of an individual's technological belief and use on their capability to absorb knowledge towards their technological learning behaviour? A research model is proposed to empirically test the relationship between TR and individual's ACAP towards learning behaviour. As beliefs affect behaviour, the TRI measures an individual's propensity towards technology. Other antecedents such as TKS, SI and SN may also have an effect on an individual’s ACAP. To assess behaviour under control of an individual the Individual Work Performance (IWP) was adapted towards learning behaviours. To test the presence of a causal effect, this study applied a quantitative approach to confirm theories. A survey was conducted at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). An online questionnaire was used to collect data from students. A total of 199 participated in the survey. This questionnaire borrowed items from other academic peer reviewed journals. The data were analysed using the Partial Least Square (PLS)-Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach. The PLS approach had many benefits such as being flexible and the use of formative and reflective indicators. A High order Construct (HC) allowed abstraction in the research model. The disjoint two-stage approach enabled further validation of the measurement model in its second stage. The results generated mixed findings. Among the different hypotheses enumerated, the individual’s technological belief in Optimism and Innovation, and the SN had a significantly very weak effect on individual ACAP which in turn had a significantly weak effect on their learning behaviour. This study highlighted the need to assess individual ACAP and learning behaviour.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/143932