Factors affecting the adoption of BYOD in South African small and medium enterprises

Abstract

The advancement in technological development is now altering the conventional order in the diffusion of Information Technology innovation from a top‐down approach (organization to employees) to a bottom‐up approach (employees to organization). This change is more notable in developed economies and has led to the bring your own device (BYOD) phenomenon, which promises increased productivity for employees and their organizations. There have been several studies on the corporate adoption of BYOD, but few have investigated this phenomenon from a small and medium enterprise (SME) perspective and from developing countries specifically. This study investigated the BYOD phenomenon in South African SMEs. The goal was to identify contextual factors influencing BYOD adoption. A conceptual framework using the Perceived EReadiness Model (PERM) was adopted. The study took an interpretive stance and was qualitative. Data was collected from SMEs using semi‐structured interviews and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. The findings show that for BYOD to be adopted and institutionalized in an SME, there needs to be organizational and environmental readiness. Organizational readiness in terms of awareness, management support, business resources, human resources, employees' pressure, formal governance, and technological readiness. Environmental readiness in terms of market forces, support from industry, government readiness and the socio‐cultural factor. These readiness factors present both opportunities and challenges that SMEs in developing countries need to concentrate on as they prepare for and use BYOD.

Factors influencing small and medium enterprises’ innovativeness: Evidence from manufacturing companies in Harare, Zimbabwe

“…These factors vary depending on the level of development of a country. This makes it difficult to generalize factors that influence firms’ innovation in developed countries over developing countries (Akin‐Adetoro & Kabanda, 2021; Sun & Mamman, 2021). Thus, it is critical to understand the factors that drive innovation of SMEs (Abdu & Jibir, 2018).…”

“…Akin‐Adetoro and Kabanda (2021) conducted a study in South Africa to investigate factors influencing the adoption of innovation by SMEs. The study found that the resources of an organization have a positive influence on its innovation.…”

“…SMEs have significantly contributed to gross domestic product, employment creation, income generation and poverty alleviation in developing and developed nations (Bomani et al., 2018; Damoah, 2020; Dvouletý & Orel, 2019; Gherghina et al., 2020; López‐Fernández et al., 2021; Madison et al., 2022). Because of this, SMEs have been dubbed engines for economic development in many countries (Akin‐Adetoro & Kabanda, 2021). However, due to the global nature of the business environment, organizations are now faced with increased global competition, where firms contest with not only domestic rivals but also foreign players.…”

“…A plethora of research has found that innovation is a critical factor that improves organizational performance and chances of survival (Dana et al., 2021; Makanyeza & Dzvuke, 2015. Similarly, several studies have been conducted to determine factors that influence innovation (Akin‐Adetoro & Kabanda, 2021; Kaur & Kaur, 2021; López‐Fernández et al., 2021; Niroumand et al., 2021; Sun & Mamman, 2021; Tran et al., 2021). Moreover, many studies have investigated factors influencing innovation in large‐scale firms.…”

“…Moreover, many studies have investigated factors influencing innovation in large‐scale firms. However, fewer studies have focused on SMEs, especially in developing countries (Akin‐Adetoro & Kabanda, 2021). Despite the importance of innovation, empirical evidence on the factors that influence innovativeness in SMEs is not only scarce but inconclusive, particularly in developing countries such as Zimbabwe (Manyati, 2014; Manyati & Mutsau, 2019; Sun & Mamman, 2021).…”