Technology Acceptance Model in U.S. Extension: CRM Adoption

QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF TAM

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applicability of TAM principles on CRM adoption within the CES, but it may not fully capture

the nuances that are specific to individual states or regions. For example, smaller or less-

resourced states may face entirely different factors for CRM adoption compared to larger, more

well-resourced states. Additionally, participants of this study include a range of roles but

primarily focus on CES directors, administrators, communication practitioners, and IT

professionals. However, this study does not examine the potential variations in CRM adoption

based on specific job functions but rather CRM adoption more holistically across state Extension

services. Lastly, participants reported a fairly limited number of CRM technologies that were

being used or evaluated for use in their states. The limited focus on these technologies may not

consider various other CRM technologies possibly being utilized by Extension professionals

located in county offices spread across the United States. In at least one instance, a state

Extension director reported no use of CRM technologies in their state, while a separate

participant reported a very limited use of CRM technologies in their county within the same

state.

There are several limitations to this research that readers need to be aware of. While the

sample size provided a considerable amount of useful qualitative data, it may limit the

generalizability of findings to the entire CES network. Additionally, interview participants were

significantly represented from the northeastern region of the CES, which could introduce biases

in the interpretation of CRM adoption patterns. However, consistency between interview

participant responses and responses from the Extension Foundation’s landscape assessment

demonstrated data consistency. Additionally, this study relies on self-reported data obtained

through interviews and assessment, which highlight the possibility of response bias if

participants had motivations to seek socially desirable responses or overemphasize positive

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