Understanding employee acceptance of digital technology: a theoretical framework

To better support the digital transformation in industrial contexts, it is necessary to investigate why users accept or reject digital technologies. In doing so, academics and practitioners may be able to understand how to effectively engage employees. This paper develops a systematic literature review on the acceptance of digital technologies to (1) identify and describe the key antecedents influencing employee acceptance and/or resistance towards digital technologies; (2) understand the extent to which the model constructs have been used in previous studies; and (3) develop a framework for comprehensively understanding the acceptance of digital technologies in manufacturing. Leveraging the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this study aims to accomplish these objectives while highlighting notable deviations from prior technology acceptance research.