Mobile wireless applications are shifting increasingly from consumer-oriented applications to becoming important vehicles for business-to-employee and business-to-business applications.  One application which has received attention both commercially and academically is Field Force Automation (FFA).  The focus of much of the research in this area has been on analysing systems based on high-end mobile terminals and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) that have been adopted by medium-to-large organisations.  This study aims to identify the factors which influence the readiness of small organisations to adopt FFA using mobile phones as the application platform for field workers.

This study has been conducted with three case studies of small service organisations with field forces in the Western Cape.  An existing model for examining the suitability and viability of mobile applications, the Fit-Viability Model (FVM), was used as the basis for the research.  The case studies were conducted using semi-structured interviews, observation, and archival material.  A qualitative analysis of this material was conducted using a general inductive approach.

This research found that the FVM is a useful model for assessing the readiness to adopt FFA in the context under study.  It also discovered factors beyond this model which play an important role in the readiness of the organisation to adopt FFA – business process characteristics, technology use in the work environment, organisational culture, attitudes to Information Technology, technology infrastructure, and the financial and process impacts of FFA.

This study is novel in that it does not assume existing use of FFA, but rather seeks to examine what factors would influence the potential for adoption of the technology.  It also focuses on mobile phones, whereas most FFA research focuses on bespoke mobile devices or high-end handsets.  This provides interesting insights into the suitability of this ubiquitous device to a high-value mobile application such as FFA.

Keywords: mobile applications, field force automation, business process characteristics