Understanding university employees' resistance intention toward software as a service: the moderating role of technology readiness

This study examines the resistance of university employees to adopting software-as-a-service applications, despite their many benefits, by applying the theory of status quo bias. The research also explores how technology readiness moderates this resistance. Using a sample of 228 employees from Palestinian higher education institutions, the study employs partial least squares structural equation modelling to test its hypotheses. The findings indicate that regret avoidance, inertia, switching costs, and perceived threat increase resistance to SaaS adoption, while perceived value decreases it. Additionally, the moderation effect of technology readiness weakens the influence of these resistance factors. The study provides insights that can assist decision-makers in higher education institutions in overcoming employee resistance and enriches the literature on software-as-a-service, status quo bias, technology readiness, and technology adoption in educational settings.