Resistance to technology

One of the main questions that people ask about resistance to technology is ‘Why?’ Why are people resistant to the implementation of new technology? There has been limited research in this area in the transportation domain, although researchers from other domains have looked at this question in slightly different ways, yielding a considerable body of literature on this issue. This research is placed into sections in this chapter that provide a partial answer to this question. These sections are: perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of the technology; perceived impact on the user; individual characteristics; social influences; and organisational factors. While these sections provide a partial answer to the question of why people are resistant to technology, it should be pointed out that resistance to any given technology is likely to be a combination of these reasons for both individuals and groups. It is also important to keep in mind that resistance should not be discounted or ignored as some of the reasons for resistance are justified and could play an important role in ensuring safety and avoiding implementation of costly equipment that has little benefit to the organisation.