The influence of the institutional environment on AI adoption in universities: identifying value drivers and necessary conditions

Anett Erdmann and Luis Toro-Dupouy

European Journal of Innovation Management, 2025, vol. 28, issue 9, 4365-4398

Abstract: PurposeIn higher education, the appreciation and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) has led to debate and polarization. This study examines how the institutional environment at universities impacts the value perception and intention to adopt AI in higher education. It seeks to optimize the adoption pathway by identifying essential “must-have factors” and “value drivers.”Design/methodology/approachEmploying the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework alongside the technology acceptance model (TAM) framework and perceived value concepts, this research utilizes a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach complemented by necessary condition analysis (NCA), a novel approach in this context, which allows us to distinguish between critical antecedents and value drivers in the evaluation and adoption of AI technology.FindingsResults indicate that organizational complexity, readiness, competency, compatibility and competitive advantage significantly affect the perceived value of AI, mediated by stakeholders’ perceptions of its ease of use and usefulness. These factors enhance the intention to adopt AI in higher education. Perceived usefulness has the highest effect size and the importance of ease of use differs between Europe and South America. External factors like partner support and competitive advantage are necessary considerations to be met, while competitive advantage and some internal factors are sufficient conditions for AI adoption.Originality/valueThe study underscores the importance of certain institutional factors, setting priorities for management actions in AI adoption. It differentiates between the general appreciation of AI and the intention of practical implementation, highlighting the role of partner support as a necessary condition, although a non-value-driving factor.

Keywords: Education technology; Artificial intelligence; Perceived value; TOE framework; Institutional environment; Necessary condition analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.emerald.com/ejim/article/28/9/4365/124 ... ional-environment-on (text/html)
https://www.emerald.com/ejim/article-pdf/28/9/4365 ... m-04-2024-0407en.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:ejimpp:ejim-04-2024-0407

DOI: 10.1108/EJIM-04-2024-0407

Access Statistics for this article

European Journal of Innovation Management is currently edited by Dr Vincenzo Corvello

More articles in European Journal of Innovation Management from Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Emerald Support ().