Factors Influencing the Procurement Officers' Intention to Adopt AI. The Mediating Role of Organisational Support

Abstract

This study examined the factors influencing procurement officers' intention to adopt AI, with organisational support as a mediating variable. This study employed a quantitative research strategy and adopted a cross-sectional survey design, supported by elements of an explanatory research design. The target population were supply chain personnel, logistics managers, and operations officers at cocoa-producing firms in Ghana. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling to select 300 respondents involved in supply chain processes. The primary data for this study were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to employees within the selected firms. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 was used for descriptive analysis, including means and standard deviations. International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) Amos was also employed to test the study's hypotheses.

The findings showed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, digital literacy, and training all shape organisational support, which in turn has a powerful effect on workers’ intention to adopt AI. The results revealed that organisational support plays a significant mediating role in employees' adaptation to AI. Thus, without sufficient organisational support, positive employee perceptions and attitudes alone may not translate into adoption behaviour.

However, the results of the study revealed that the effect of social influence on organisational support was not significant. It is therefore recommended that future research consider expanding the sample to include respondents from other sectors, such as manufacturing, banking, public procurement, and healthcare, to enhance generalizability.