Understanding Blockchain Adoption in Italian Firms

Abstract

This study investigates individuals’ blockchain adoption behavior focusing on the Italian setting, and gathering perceptions from information systems practitioners and entrepreneurs. The aim of the paper is to understand what are the factors that push organizational actors to use the blockchain. To this aim we embrace the second version of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). The model was estimated using the structural equation modeling with partial least square estimation (PLS-SEM). Our results show that performance expectancy and social influence are factors that have a strong positive effect on people intention to adopt blockchain. Surprisingly, the findings unveil that experience has a negative effect on blockchain use intention. This allows us to argue that the technology under scrutiny has such a disruptive nature that individuals with previous experience look at it with skepticisms as its implementation involves a full re-think of all routines and practices.