Mediating managerial beliefs and moderating personal innovativeness: an experimental approach to IoT adoption behavior in supply chains

Purpose – The objective of this study is to examine the underlying behavioral mechanisms for the association between Internet of Things (IoT) technology features and managers' intention to use IoT technology. Design/methodology/approach – The study conducts experiments with 301 supply chain managers using the vignette design approach, employing affordance theory as a theoretical lens. The study incorporates behavioral beliefs (valence, discrepancy, and appropriateness) of supply chain managers as mediating variables. Further, the study examines the boundary conditions for the association between IoT technology features and behavioral beliefs by considering personal innovativeness (PI) as a moderating variable. Findings – The results of this study suggest that out of three mediating paths, only valence and appropriateness significantly mediate the link between IoT technology features and managers' intention to use IoT. Further, in moderated mediation analysis, personal innovativeness significantly moderates only the appropriateness of the mediated relationship. Originality/value – The study offers a novel application of Affordance Theory in the supply chain context by linking IoT technology features with managerial behavioral beliefs and individual traits. It reframes technology adoption as a behaviorally driven, context-sensitive process, moving beyond traditional cost-benefit perspectives.