Trust as an organising principle of e-Learning adoption: Reconciling agency and structure

This paper examines how academics developing a trusting behaviour towards e-learning adoption. It inductively explores perceived risks and enablers involved in e-learning adoption, within the context of Portuguese Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The findings indicate that the interplay between institutionalism and individualism has strong implications in the success or failure of e-learning mainstreaming strategies, as perceived by academics. In practical terms, the results reported in this paper suggest that HEIs should pay more attention to context-sensitive trust building mechanisms that strike a balance between (1) academics' commitments, values and sense of self-worth, and (2) centrallyplanned policy, rules, resources and exhortations that enable action.