Beyond the buffer effect: The paradox of institutional facilitation in sUAS adoption within aircraft maintenance

Abstract

This study recontextualizes technology adoption theory within the high-stakes, rules-based domain of aircraft maintenance. Using survey data from 527 aviation maintenance professionals analyzed through a two-stage PLS-SEM approach, we reveal that institutional norms and facilitation operate with a dual function, challenging their well-documented role as a unidirectional enabler. Contrary to conventional stress-buffering assumptions, facilitation does not reduce anxiety. Instead, it functions as an exposure mechanism, amplifying anxiety by heightening awareness of regulatory and procedural complexities. This anxiety, in turn, functions as a significant deterrent to adoption. However, facilitation also exerts a dominant, direct positive influence (β=0.716) that overshadows this psychological resistance. These results reveal a paradox of institutional facilitation: an anxiety amplifier that is overridden by institutional imperatives. We demonstrate that in this high-stakes context, adoption is less an act of individual volition and more an organizational mandate. Established adoption models must therefore be adapted for regulated environments, underscoring the need for strategies that empower, not merely expose, professionals to technological change.