How Do Employees in Different Job Roles in the Insurance Industry Use Mobile Technology Differently at Work?

© 1988-2012 IEEE. Background: In Taiwan, the insurance industry has the highest willingness and the largest budgets to implement mobile technology. Companies must continuously monitor, evaluate, and redesign the mobile IT infrastructure during implementation because when employees gain more experience with using mobile IT to support work tasks, they present their preferences and progressive needs. Therefore, exploration of how mobile technology can support the diverse job roles and task characteristics in insurance companies that have implemented mobile IT is vital to improving the efficiency of mobile IT implementation and organizational capacity. Research questions: In insurance companies: 1. How are different mobile devices used differently by salespeople and office staff? 2. What are the differences in the attitudes of salespeople and office staff toward using mobile technology? Literature review: Previous studies that explored employees' usage of mobile technology suggested that those in different job roles have different mobile technology needs and usage behaviors. These studies support further comparison and investigation of the mobile technology requirements of salespeople and office staff in insurance companies. Methodology: A survey collected empirical data from 177 employees from insurance companies in Taiwan. The participants' demographic information, attitudes toward applications, perceived advantages, and willingness to use mobile technology were collected and analyzed. Results and conclusions: The results showed that the most important tasks supported by mobile technology were instant communication and information access; developing an organizational culture that supports using mobile technology in job-related tasks can increase employees' adoption of mobile devices; and smartphones are thought to have better mobility and more functions to support main job tasks than tablets. Based on the findings, this study proposes suggestions for practice and implications for future research.