International Association for Management of Technology IAMOT 2018 Conference Proceedings Page 1 of 20 TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION: FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ADOPTION DECISION OF THE INTERNET OF THINGS IN A BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT FLAVIO LOBO University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Luciano Gualberto, 908, 05508-900 Sao Paulo, Brazil flavio.lobo@usp.br EDUARDO VASCONCELLOS University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Luciano Gualberto, 908, 05508-900 Sao Paulo, Brazil epgdvasc@gmail.com LILIANA VASCONCELLOS GUEDES University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Luciano Gualberto, 908, 05508-900 Sao Paulo, Brazil lilianav@usp.br The Internet of things (IoT) represents a new paradigm of integration of various technologies and communication solutions, and finds applications in many different domains. This topic has had little exploration in the social sciences and this study helps bridge that gap by investigating the challenge of adopting innovations based on the Internet of Things (IoT), more specifically factors that affect the adoption decision. The realization of the vision of IoT still requires more investment in research and development because of its novelty and complexity. Beyond the technical issues, large-scale adoption is also hampered by the lack of clarity regarding which factors influence the adoption decision of these technologies. The theme adoption of innovation is relevant to those who develop an innovation and want it to be adopted as well as to those who have to decide whether to adopt an innovation or not. As the adoption rate is influenced by factors and decisions that lie both on the side of the supplier as well as the adopter of a technological innovation, this work is based on studies that seek to integrate variables from both sides in order to reflect the systemic nature of this process. Given the nature and novelty of the technology whose adoption is the object of this study, the chosen methodology was multiple case studies, exploratory and qualitative in nature. For the case studies, a total of 8 interviews were conducted and the collection of data was complemented with internal documentation which included executive summaries and detailed information on project execution. The proposed model looked at 4 dimensions: external, internal, technological, and supplier. The first objective was to apply the model to both case studies in order to identify and analyze the key factors influencing the adoption decision for the Internet of things in each company. The second objective was to do a deeper analysis on how the factors related to the technological dimension affected the adoption decision. A comparative analysis was also developed for a deeper understanding of how nuances related to each case may have contributed to the findings, whether these were similar or divergent. What the research has shown is that the model and its factors helped to organize the key issues for analysis in the adoption decision process, serving as support for future studies related to business modelling of IoT solutions. Given the case study methodology, the results cannot be generalized. The proposed model can be applied to both suppliers and adopters of the technological innovation, integrating factors that are external and internal to the company, as well as factors of the IoT technology and factors of the supplier. The model can be easily adapted to serve as a tool in the evaluation and eventual selection of technological innovations. Keywords: technology adoption, Internet of Things, innovation, IoT