Diffusion of Innovations

1
Diffusion of Innovations

• Based on the work of Everett Rogers

2
Elements

• The Innovation
• Communication
• Time
• Social System

3
VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocal
http//www.fcc.gov/voip/
4
The Innovation

• Relative Advantage
• Compatibility
• Trialability
• Observability

5
Communication
The Innovation
The Potential User
The User

• Similarity of User and Potential User
• Beliefs
• Status
• Education
• Method of Communications
• Person to person or Mass communication

6
Time

• Between introduction and decision
• Personalities
• Innovators (seek out ideas)
• Early adopters (open to change)
• Early majority (ahead of the curve)
• Late majority (adopt skeptically)
• Laggards (traditionalists)
• Rate of adoption

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The Adoption Curve
Innovation 3
Innovation 2
Percent of Adoption
Innovation 1
Time gt
Adapted from Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations,
4th Ed., p. 11
8
The Awareness-Knowledge Relationship
Laggards Late Majority Early Majority Early
Adopters Innovators
Awareness
Percent of Population
Adoption
Time gt
Adapted from Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations,
4th Ed., p. 200
9
Adoption Categories
Adapted from Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations,
4th Ed., p. 262
10
Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, 4th Ed., p. 163
11
Social System

• Social Structure
• People with Influence
• Opinion leaders within the system
• External change agents
• Consequences
• Good/bad, Direct/indirect, intended/unintended
• Method of Decision Making in Organization
• Organizational Structure
• Centralization, Size, Openness, Complexity, etc.

See table on p. 53 of Lundblad article