Perceived Usefulness

Perceived usefulness, originating from Fred Davis's 1989 Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), is defined as 'the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance their job performance.' In risk management, this concept is critical. For instance, when a company implements a new Business Continuity Management (BCM) platform or a cybersecurity tool, if users perceive it as having low usefulness—believing it's cumbersome and unhelpful for their daily tasks—they may bypass it. This creates significant operational risks and undermines the objectives of standards like ISO 22301 (Business Continuity) and ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security), which emphasize user awareness and competence. Unlike 'perceived ease of use,' which focuses on operational simplicity, perceived usefulness centers on the system's functional benefits to the user.

Applying the concept of perceived usefulness can significantly increase the success rate of new system implementations. Practical steps include: 1. **Needs Analysis & Design:** Following ISO 9241-210 (Human-centred design), involve end-users in the system selection and design process to ensure it meets real-world operational needs. 2. **Measurement & Feedback:** Before and during implementation, deploy validated surveys based on the TAM to quantify perceived usefulness and use the feedback to refine the system and training. 3. **Risk Mitigation & Training:** If perceived usefulness is low, treat it as a risk. Develop targeted training that demonstrates the system's direct benefits to user performance. For example, a bank implementing a new incident reporting system saw user adoption rise to 95% after involving staff in the design and proving the system reduced reporting time by 30%.

Taiwanese enterprises often face three key challenges: 1. **Hierarchical Culture:** Top-down decision-making in system procurement often neglects end-user input, leading to tools that are misaligned with daily tasks. 2. **Resource Constraints:** Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may lack the budget for proper user research and usability testing. 3. **Legacy System Integration:** Poor integration of new tools with existing legacy systems can create a clunky user experience, reducing the perceived usefulness of the new technology. To overcome these, companies should establish cross-functional project teams with end-user representation, use pilot programs to gather early feedback, and prioritize seamless API integration during vendor selection.

Winners Consulting specializes in perceived usefulness for Taiwan enterprises, delivering compliant management systems within 90 days. We have successfully served over 100 local companies. Request a free consultation: https://winners.com.tw/contact