Issues about Information Technology and the problem of adoption in multidisciplinary and multiorganizational environments.

1. Information Technology Adoption in Multidisciplinary
and Multiorganizational Environments
NRDM Workshop - Data Governance
Gabriel Asato
Geological and Mining Survey of Argentina
Commision for the Management and Application of GeoInformation
Member of Open Geospatial Consortium Speaker Bureau
Member of NRDM Advisor Board

2. Introduction
The Beginning of a Good Idea
I have a good idea!!
The developed product will be really nice!!!
I think the product/app/system will help the
development of my organization
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

3. But what use to be happen...
New ideas or advanced technologies are not
easily accepted by people either
organizations.

4. Why?
Real life tell us:
● The process of technology adoption is not an
easy process despite of the promising future.
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

5. The Millon Dolar Question
We have technology, know-how and we know
the benefits of the development of this new
kind of technology
But..
How we can develop an integrated and
operational product/app/system?
Why the organization/people is not accepting
my new idea?

6. What this Presentation Will
Explain?
Some issues about
new technology adoption process
(by my experiences and conclusions developing
Geoinformation Systems for National Organizations in
Argentina)
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

7. A Short Story About a GeoIT
Scientist and His Developments
Geologist 1990
Remote Sensing Specialist 1992
(RS and GIS for Mining Exploration)
GIS Developer 1993
(Development of Geological Digital Map)
….
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

8. How the National Digital Map
Project was Made
● Business Model
● Development of Standards and
Methodologies
● Information Architecture
● Applications
● Test Application/Demo
● Product
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

9. Big Problem: Technology
Acceptance and Adoption
● The infrastructure aim of the Geological
Digital Map was to create a corporate system
that will support production and information
requirements of the organization.
● But the concept of corporate system was
never understood (accepted) despite of the
proven benefits of the Digital Geological Map
Production System.
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

10. Unsuccess-Consequences
● The System is not well integrated with the
organization work flow
● The System and their products cannot be
replicated by others (then enhanced)
● There are no other developments created
based on the previous experience.
● People didn’t learn something new
● New errors == old errors (re-invention of the
wheel)
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

11. Solutions?
● Training?
● Marketing?
● Proof of concepts?
● Operative pilots?
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

12. Success?
In consequence I was:
Accepted by the international GIT
community
Recognized by argentinean
universities and organizations as
a main GIS trainer
But...
The main aim was not reached
The organization still not have a corporative system

13. Lessons Learnt

14. Good Systems Designs Will not
Guarantee Project Success
It was learnt that human factor is important in
the process of technology adoption and
acceptance.
The Technological Project must be accepted by
people!!!!
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

15. My Personal History 2
Coordinating Multidisciplinary
and Multiorganizational Projects
Lessons Learnt

16. Coordinating Groups
CGI-IUGS (Interoperability for Geosciences)
RedOT (Inf. Sys. Group for Land Management)
Argentina Data Providers for Natural Hazards
and Risk Management (Interoperability
Group)
GT.SIG (GeoInformation for eGov)
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

17. Issues About Group and Technology
Acceptance Management
● Business Model
● Organizations and Know-How Management
● System/Applications Development Stages in a
Organization
● Professional Impedance Mismatch
● Working Group Coordination
● Dynamics of a Working Group
● Technology Acceptance Model
● Organization/Head Support (top-bottom model)
● External and Potential Partners
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

18. Business Model
●
●
●
●
About the business objectives of your organization
About the information constraints
Quality criteria (data, products,etc)
Available Infrastructure
○ Physical
○ Human resources
○ Know how
● Relationships, expected benefits, etc.
The definition of business model is essential to define the
context, objectives and constraints of our information
system
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

19. North
Business Model is the North
for Information Projects in your Organization!!!
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

20. Contextual Analysis:
Organization Tradition and Working Style.
Integration of New Developments
New developments must be linked to existing
practices and rules. It is well known that
starting a project from zero forgetting
previous experiences will have a lot of
difficulties to be integrated to the daily
operations in the organization.
Staff know the why of the ways and
methodologies. Any improvement or reform
should be formulated on previous structures.

21. Development Stages
●
●
●
●
●
Laboratory
Unit
Departament
Organization
Public
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013
Increase cost development
Decrease user interface complexity

22. Human Factor
The most complex variable

23. The Multidisciplinary Working
Group
Professional Impedance Mismatch
○
○
○
Different Practices
Different Cultures
Different Technical Language
People need to know how to speak each other!!
A meeting and working methodology is needed
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

24. Working with Partners
● People hate feel ignorant
● People join to a new project by personal interests (they
need to understand that participation will gave any kind
of profit)
● People need to be part of the project (appropriation).
● Appropriation promote group creativity
● Project leader will probably knows the how-to’s but
sometimes is much better look ignorant.(one eye man in
the kingdom of blind people is a mad!!!)
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

25. Working Group Partners
●
●
●
●
Innovators
Early Adopters
Majority
Neg. Opposition
○ Lagard
○ Old-King
○ Neo-Luddite
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

26. Head Support
Top-Bottom Model
Successful adoption is highly dependent on the
degree, stability and wisdom of the
administrative sponsorship.
There are no successful adoption without
CEO's compromises
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

27. Technology Acceptance Model
TAM
Useful
Easy to use
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

28. Working With External Partners
● Stakeholders
● Society/Public
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

29. Final Remarks
● It is well known that new and complex
technologies adoption process use to be a
difficult process
● It demand important investments in research
and development and sometimes the
product (result) will be not accepted by users
despite the promise of potential benefits
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

30. Final Remarks
Technology adoption by an organization
consists on studying the processes and
objectives of the organization, and is part of a
long negotiation with members of staff and
users in order to create an operational and
useful product/application/system
Gabriel Asato -NRDM 2013

31. Adoption means: Change Management

32. Muito Obrigado!!!
Muchas Gracias!!!
Thank You Very Much!!!