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Chapter 4 E-environment 243

Biometric Identity Documents
BPM Suites
P2P Vol P
Desktop Search
Inkjet Manufacturing
Electronic Ink/Digital Paper Linux on Desktop for Mainstream Business Users
Micro Fuel Cells
Model-Driven Approaches
Carbon Nanotubes
Podcasting Really Simple Syndication Internal
Web
Biometric User Identification Speech Recognition for Services
Grid Computing
Text Mining Corporate Blogging Telephony and Call Centre
Augumented Reality
Business Process Wikis 802.16 2004 WiMAX VoIP Text-to-
Visibility Semantic Web Web-Services- Organic Light-Emitting Devices Business Rule Synthesis
Networks
Speech/
Speech
Corporate
Mesh Networks – Sensor
Engines
4G Enabled Business Trusted Location-Aware Applications
Models
Computing Group
Software as Service/ASP
Handwriting Recognition
SOA
Prediction Markets Videoconferencing
Network Collective Intelligence
RFID (Passive)
Quantum Computing XBRL
DNA Logic Tablet PC
Internet Micropayments As of August 2005
Peak of
Technology Trough of Plateau of
inflated Slope of enlightenment
trigger disillusionment productivity
expectations
Maturity
Plateau will be reached in:
less than 2 years 2 to 5 years 5 to 10 years more than 10 years
Acronym key:
4G Fourth generation SOA Service-oriented architecture
ASP Application service provider VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol
BPM Business process management WiMAX Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access
P2P Peer to peer XBRL Extensible Business Reporting Language
RFID Radio frequency identification
Example of a Gartner hype cycle
Figure 4.13
Source: Gartner (2005) Gartner’s Hype Cycle Special Report for 2005

Trott (1998) looks at this organizational perspective to technology adoption. He identifies
different requirements that are necessary within an organization to be able to respond effec-
tively to technological change or innovation. These are:
Growth orientation – a long-term rather than short-term vision
Vigilance – the capability of environment scanning
Commitment to technology – willingness to invest in technology
Acceptance of risk – willingness to take managed risks
Cross-functional cooperation – capability for collaboration across functional areas
Receptivity – the ability to respond to externally developed technology
Slack – allowing time to investigate new technological opportunities
Adaptability – a readiness to accept change
Diverse range of skills – technical and business skills and experience.
The problem with being an early adopter (as an organization) is that the leading edge of
using new technologies is often also referred to as the ‘bleeding edge’ due to the risk of fail-
ure. New technologies will have bugs, may integrate poorly with the existing systems, or the
marketing benefits may simply not live up to their promise. Of course, the reason for risk
taking is that the rewards are high – if you are using a technique that your competitors are
not, then you will gain an edge on your rivals.