Showing papers on "Diffusion of innovations published in 2014"

Residential solar electricity adoption: What motivates, and what matters? A case study of early adopters

Abstract: This research explores the question, what motivates homeowners to adopt residential solar electric technology? Through interviews with 48 people across the state of Wisconsin, this paper examines the relative importance environmental motivations, economic considerations, and the demographic characteristics and network relations influencing the adoption and diffusion of innovations. This study suggests (1) environmental values alone are not enough, and are not always necessary, to motivate adoption; (2) rational economic calculation in the narrow sense of calculated return on investment or payback period is less important than the particular timing of economic events within a household; and (3) perceiving oneself as an early adopter is only important for some, while communication through social networks occurs in the context of communities of information. Further, these Wisconsin homeowners shared an unexpected characteristic that they identified as motivating adoption – an interest in technical innovation and enjoyment of the technical aspects of energy systems. The findings from this empirical case study offer general insight for understanding investment in renewable energy technologies at the residential scale, suggesting means of improving environmental and energy policy and highlighting avenues for future research.

Hybridized Professional Groups and Institutional Work: COSO and the Rise of Enterprise Risk Management

Abstract: The rise of risk management represents one of the major organizational shifts of the past decade. This article examines the emergence and diffusion of the dominant standard in the field, the Enterprise Risk Management – Integrated Framework, first published by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations in 2004. Drawing on a range of interviews with key stakeholders and an analysis of secondary materials, we find evidence of numerous forms of institutional work including theorizing, rhetorical appeals, mythologizing, constructing normative networks and educating. The diaspora of associated entities provided a key platform for advocating and promoting the ERM technology and provided a stable and influential network of support. Our analysis suggests that, as a large, multi-faceted hybridized professional group, COSO was able to bridge conventional diffusion categories of disruption, creation and maintenance. We argue that the notion of institutional work offers a useful lens for examining the diffusion of innovations in accounting research.

Hybridized professional groups and institutional work: COSO and the rise of enterprise risk management

Abstract: The rise of risk management represents one of the major organizational shifts of the past decade. This article examines the emergence and diffusion of the dominant standard in the field, the Enterprise Risk Management � Integrated Framework, first published by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations in 2004. Drawing on a range of interviews with key stakeholders and an analysis of secondary materials, we find evidence of numerous forms of institutional work including theorizing, rhetorical appeals, mythologizing, constructing normative networks and educating. The diaspora of associated entities provided a key platform for advocating and promoting the ERM technology and provided a stable and influential network of support. Our analysis suggests that, as a large, multi-faceted hybridized professional group, COSO was able to bridge conventional diffusion categories of disruption, creation and maintenance. We argue that the notion of institutional work offers a useful lens for examining the diffusion of innovations in accounting research.

Social influences on secure development tool adoption: why security tools spread

Abstract: Security tools can help developers build more secure software systems by helping developers detect or fix security vulnerabilities in source code. However, developers do not always use these tools. In this paper, we investigate a number of social factors that impact developers' adoption decisions, based on a multidisciplinary field of research called diffusion of innovations. We conducted 42 one-on-one interviews with professional software developers, and our results suggest a number of ways in which security tool adoption depends on developers' social environments and on the channels through which information about tools is communicated. For example, some participants trusted developers with strong reputations on the Internet as much as they trust their colleagues for information about security tools.

Technology as system innovation: a key informant interview study of the application of the diffusion of innovation model to telecare.

Abstract: Purpose: To identify and explore factors that influence adoption, implementation and continued use of telecare technologies. Method: As part of the Assistive Technologies for Healthy Living in Elders: Needs Assessment by Ethnography (ATHENE) project, 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted with key participants from organisations involved in developing and providing telecare technologies and services. Data were analysed thematically, using a conceptual model of diffusion of innovations. Results: Participants identified numerous interacting factors that facilitated or hindered adoption and use. As predicted by the model, these related variously to the technology, individual adopters, the process of social influence, the innovativeness and readiness of organisations, implementation and routinisation processes following initial adoption, and the nature and strength of linkages between these elements. Key issues included (i) the complexity and uniqueness of the "user system", (ii) the ongoing work needed to support telecare use beyond initial adoption, and (iii) the relatively weak links that typically exist between users of telecare technologies and the organisations who design and distribute them. Conclusions: Telecare is not merely a technology but a complex innovation requiring input from, and coordination between, people and organisations. To promote adoption and use, these contextual factors must be specified, understood and addressed.Implications for RehabilitationTelecare should not be thought of as a "plug and play" technology but as a complex innovation requiring input from, and coordination between, people and organisations.To promote adoption and use of telecare, a number of contextual factors must be specified, understood and addressed.End users and other stakeholders should be linked at the earliest stages of design and development. Such co-production should aim to identify how technologies might better fit with users' material surroundings, social networks and desired lifestyles, rather than being technology-driven and focused on proof of concept or usability. © 2014 Informa UK Ltd.

Propensity to patent, competition and China’s foreign patenting surge

Abstract: Protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs) serves a dual role in economic development. While it promotes innovation by providing legal protection of inventions, it may retard catch-up and learning by restricting the diffusion of innovations. Does stronger IPR protection in a developing country encourage technology development in or technology transfer to that country? This book aims to address the issue, covering diverse forms of IPRs, diverse actors in innovation, and diverse cases from Asia and Latin America.

Understanding Cultural Differences in Innovation: A Conceptual Framework and Future Research Directions

Abstract: Extant literature on innovation has produced important and significant results. However, no study to date has provided researchers with a framework to understand innovation from a cultural differences perspective. To fill this research gap, the author proposes a framework that categorizes culture and innovation studies into the following six approaches: (1) innovation characteristics, (2) adoption of/propensity to adopt innovations, (3) geographical innovations, (4) market characteristics, (5) learning effect, and (6) organizational functions. Each approach contains two perspectives. From these approaches and perspectives, the author identifies unique and general insights on culture and innovation, discusses the implications of implementing this framework, and recognizes possible areas of further research.

Anatomy of Scholarly Collaboration in Engineering Education: A Big‐Data Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract: 1 Background Engineering education has become a large community with an increasing number of scholars and publications. As the number of publications has grown, it has become increasingly difficult to understand the epistemic nature and diffusion characteristics of knowledge generated by this community. Techniques to study community topology require nontrivial computational workflows. 2 Purpose/Hypothesis The present study characterizes the topology of scholarly collaboration and important factors affecting this topology in engineering education research. 3 Design/Methods A bibliometric analysis was conducted of 24,172 papers in engineering education research journals and conference proceedings for the years 2000–2011. A total of 29,116 unique authors are present. Social network analyses were used to characterize the network topology of overall scientific collaboration. Analyses based on grouping scholars by disciplinary backgrounds, research areas, and geographical locations were performed. 4 Results The results show that the engineering education research community is in its early stage of forming a small-world network that relies primarily on 5% of scholars to build capacity. Typical small-world networks provide some very clear characterizations about the state, stability, and growth of the community. Deviations from this ideal model suggest the need for rethinking collaboration in engineering education. Scholars with interdisciplinary backgrounds play a critical role in bridging isolated research teams. 5 Conclusions Compared with other disciplines and the ideal small-world network model, the topology of collaboration in engineering education shows significant barriers to the fast diffusion of innovations. This study demonstrates the value of big-data bibliometrics in understanding scholarly collaboration within a research community.

The impact of network characteristics on the diffusion of innovations

Abstract: This paper studies the influence of network topology on the speed and reach of new product diffusion. While previous research has focused on comparing network types, this paper explores explicitly the relationship between topology and measurements of diffusion effectiveness. We study simultaneously the effect of three network metrics: the average degree, the relative degree of social hubs (i.e., the ratio of the average degree of highly-connected individuals to the average degree of the entire population), and the clustering coefficient. A novel network-generation procedure based on random graphs with a planted partition is used to generate 160 networks with a wide range of values for these topological metrics. Using an agent-based model, we simulate diffusion on these networks and check the dependence of the net present value (NPV) of the number of adopters over time on the network metrics. We find that the average degree and the relative degree of social hubs have a positive influence on diffusion. This result emphasizes the importance of high network connectivity and strong hubs. The clustering coefficient has a negative impact on diffusion, a finding that contributes to the ongoing controversy on the benefits and disadvantages of transitivity. These results hold for both monopolistic and duopolistic markets, and were also tested on a sample of 12 real networks.

Applicability of diffusion of innovation theory in organic agriculture

Abstract: Summary The authors discuss the possibility of applying the theory of diffusion of innovations in the concept of organic farming. Agricultural and food sector has been exposed to significant changes over the past two centuries. That was very significant for the theory of diffusion of innovations that sought to better understand the process of knowledge transfer and adoption of innovations. Organic farming has developed as a response to the environmental and other problems of conventional agriculture. Also, it is a reaction to some issues regarding rural development. By introducing the theory of diffusion of innovation, the aim of the paper is to take into the consideration the possibility of its application to the organic system analysis. By that, we wish to take into account all the specifics which enable to observe the system of organic farming as an innovation itself. The authors conclude that the theory of diffusion of innovations can be used in the research of organic farming systems, with the respect of all characteristics and particularities of organic farming.

The role of interpersonal communication in the process of knowledge mobilization within a community-based organization: a network analysis

Abstract: Background: Diffusion of innovations theory has been widely used to explain knowledge mobilization of research findings. This theory posits that individuals who are more interpersonally connected within an organization may be more likely to adopt an innovation (e.g., research evidence) than individuals who are less interconnected. Research examining this tenet of diffusion of innovations theory in the knowledge mobilization literature is limited. The purpose of the present study was to use network analysis to examine the role of interpersonal communication in the adoption and mobilization of the physical activity guidelines for people with spinal cord injury (SCI) among staff in a community-based organization (CBO). Methods: The study used a cross-sectional, whole-network design. In total, 56 staff completed the network survey. Adoption of the guidelines was assessed using Rogers’ innovation-decision process and interpersonal communication was assessed using an online network instrument. Results: The patterns of densities observed within the network were indicative of a core-periphery structure revealing that interpersonal communication was greater within the core than between the core and periphery and within the periphery. Membership in the core, as opposed to membership in the periphery, was associated with greater knowledge of the evidence-based physical activity resources available and engagement in physical activity promotion behaviours (ps < 0.05). Greater in-degree centrality was associated with adoption of evidence-based behaviours (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Findings suggest that interpersonal communication is associated with knowledge mobilization and highlight how the network structure could be improved for further dissemination efforts. Keywords: diffusion of innovations; network analysis; community-based organization; knowledge mobilization; knowledge translation, interpersonal communication.

Gender, culture and determinants of behavioural intents to adopt mobile commerce among the Y Generation in transition economies: evidence from Kazakhstan

Abstract: This study investigates perceived risk and trust in relationship to the Diffusion of Innovation Theory [Rogers, E.M., 1962. Diffusion of innovations. Glencoe, IL: The Free Press; 1983. Diffusion of innovations. 3rd ed. New York: The Free Press] from a cultural perspective to understand the determinants of behavioural intent to adopt mobile commerce among the Y Generation in Kazakhstan. Surveys from 345 university-level students and subsequent structural equation modelling revealed perceived risk, trustworthiness and Rogers’ five innovation characteristics are important determinants. Perceived risk and trustworthiness are important determinants because of the high uncertainty avoidance characteristics of the Kazakh society. This study advances theory regarding culture- and generation-based characteristics to transition economies by verifying theoretical proposition regarding the behavioural intent towards mobile commerce adoption, resulting in a greater understanding of mobile commerce adoption among the Y...

Innovations through networks: understanding the role of social relations for educational innovations

Abstract: Scholars of diverse disciplines have begun to observe the growing importance of social networks for educational innovations. However, there is still a lack of studies that analyze the implementation of educational innovations by drawing on empirical techniques of Social Network Analysis (SNA). SNA research is critical to help us understand both how normative and complex social innovations are realized and what the possibilities of innovative ideas in educational contexts are. This article addresses the research gap and seeks to better understand the role of social networks in the implementation of educational innovations. It presents results of theoretically based empirical studies that implement SNA in five different German municipalities. It shows, for example, that the innovation networks are characterized by both dense cliques and central actors that foster the formation of shared values and trust, on the one hand, and brokerage positions that support the diffusion of innovations, on the other hand. Altogether, results point to the value of SNA methodology in understanding implementation of educational innovations.

Determinants of Internet Banking Adoption in Jordan

Abstract: The primary purpose of internet banking research is to investigate the factors that influence the E-Banking adoption of clients who have internet access. To develop a theoretical framework model in the context of this study, the literature that relates to the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Diffusion of Innovations (DOI), Technology Readiness Index (TRI) and their various adaptations were undertaken. Internet banking has been considered an innovative service, whose potential adoption by clients will be investigated. The model of this research purposes an extension to the latter models, which account for essential factors that affect the adoption of E-Banking services in Jordanian commercial banks. The study population was identified as banking clients who regularly use their online banking system account. The study used the questionnaire survey method in order to test the hypotheses and to explore its implications. 350 questionnaires were disseminated to the research sample. Multiple Regression and One Way ANOVA tests were applied to test the research hypothesis. The results show that compatibility, perceived ease of use, security and perceived usefulness positively affect internet banking adoption. Furthermore, this research adds a new component by studying the effect of all the independent factors together and identifies a positive relationship between them and internet banking adoption. Hence, synergistic relations between these factors should be secured in order to ensure their higher effect on internet banking adoption. In addition, the research demonstrates that all demographic categories studied have influenced internet banking adoption, indicating that they should be used to build the correct segmentation for consumers in order to develop proper marketing strategies. Based on the findings of the research, a number of recommendations are presented to increase internet banking adoption among the Jordanian consumers. First, to enhance internet banking adoption, banks should combine the concepts of compatibility, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and security into the online banking services concept in the stage of market planning and ensure proper synergy between these variables in order to increase the level of internet banking adoption. Moreover, both marketers and banks can utilize the demographic variables in order to improve their marketing activities for online banking. Finally, since the Jordanian financial system is going through a period of extensive change, the development process should not be linked to one specific bank or another, but instead all banks under the Central Bank of Jordan should try to build long-term strategies that include an awareness component in order to raise internet banking adoption awareness amongst Jordanian banking clients.

Does patent protection help or hinder technology transfer

Abstract: Protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs) serves a dual role in economic development. While it promotes innovation by providing legal protection of inventions, it may retard catch-up and learning by restricting the diffusion of innovations. Does stronger IPR protection in a developing country encourage technology development in or technology transfer to that country? This book aims to address the issue, covering diverse forms of IPRs, diverse actors in innovation, and diverse cases from Asia and Latin America.

Managerial influence on the diffusion of innovations within intra-organizational networks

Abstract: This study analyzes the dynamics of intra-organizational innovation implementation processes based on conversion within and migration between groups. We employ a diffusion model that extends often-used epidemic models in three ways: (i) repeated acceptance and rejection decisions of adopters and non-adopters; (ii) diffusion within and across groups organized in different network structures; and (iii) management's continuous influence on the diffusion process. The model is used to identify and evaluate senior management's possibilities to steer the diffusion process. Analyses reveal that network structure influences the interplay between the self-reinforcing dynamics of conversion and the balancing dynamics of migration. Additionally, management can minimize diffusion time and invested resources by considering the proximity of groups to each other and to the network periphery. Providing structural explanations, this study offers insights into why, given various intra-organizational networks, management policies can yield different results on whether and how innovations are adopted in an organization.

Simulating Innovation: Computer-Based Tools for Rethinking Innovation

Abstract: Christopher Watts and Nigel Gilbert explore the generation, diffusion and impact of innovations that can now be studied using computer simulation models. Agent-based models, in particular, offer explanations for the phenomena of innovation that emerge from interactions among complex, adaptive and diverse networks of firms, people, technologies, practices and resources. This book provides a critical review of these recent advances. Elements explored include the diffusion of innovations, social networks, organisational learning, science models, science and technology studies, technological evolution and innovation networks.

Diffusion of open data and crowdsourcing among heritage institutions: results of a pilot survey in Switzerland

Abstract: In a pilot survey we examined the diffusion of open data and crowdsourcing practices among heritage institutions in Switzerland. The results suggest that so far, only very few institutions have adopted an open data/open content policy. There are however signs that many institutions may adopt this innovation in a near future: A majority of institutions considers open data as important and believes that the opportunities prevail over the risks. The main obstacles that need to be overcome are the institutions' reservations with regard to free licensing and their fear of losing control. With regard to crowdsourcing the data suggest that the diffusion process will be slower than for open data. Although approximately 10% of the responding institutions already seem to experiment with crowdsourcing, there is no general breakthrough in sight, as a majority of respondents remain skeptical with regard to the benefits. We argue that the observed difference in the dynamics of the diffusion of these innovations is primarily due to the fact that crowdsourcing is perceived by heritage institutions as more complex than open data, that it isn't readily expected to lead to any sizeable advantages, and that adopting crowdsourcing practices may require deeper cultural changes.

Public Sector Innovation Theory Revisited 1

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to inquire into the state of public sector innovation (PSI) theory. Four authors, Rogers, Borins, Behn, and Glor and recent comparative governmental practices are chosen to represent a variety of approaches. This sample allows identification of both areas of consensus and of controversy in the field. Important disagreements remain about the defining parameters of PSI study and about the basic questions PSI studies should address.Keywords: public service innovation, theory, concepts, problems.IntroductionInnovation is a prime subject in our time. In business and government, it is held to be essential in the face of the massive and complex problems and the rapid pace of change in contemporary society. Innovation is thought to be the way to harness the creative potential of the human race in order to survive, to progress, and to prosper. A letter in the Montreal newspaper Le Devoir (26 April 2013) noted that the Latin and Greek words for stupidity referred to immobility, lethargy or inertia, so we might infer that the opposite of stupidity would be mobility, energy, adaptation.Public sector innovation (PSI) is a subset of all innovation. A Google search in July 2013, found references to 316 million publications, of which PSI constituted 4,4 million, or about 1.4 per cent of the whole, a small part, but a big absolute number. In the final edition of his masterwork on the diffusion of innovations, Rogers (2003: 45-46) identified nine disciplinary fields producing the greatest number of studies, of which "marketing and management" accounted for 16 per cent. This group did not appear to cover the public sector, but some of the others include subjects like city managers, public health and education. Publications on PSI thus appears rather marginal to the field of innovation studies.Having written a book on the diffusion of administrative innovations among Canadian governments twenty years ago (Gow, 1994), I was curious to learn how the field had evolved since then. I wanted to see how the subject itself had changed, what are the main theoretical approaches and what the outstanding unresolved issues. What follows is not a primer on all the contemporary theories of PSI. Instead, I have chosen five theorists and approaches in order to see what unites and what divides them. In part one, these authors and schools are presented briefly. In the second part, the contentious issues are examined with a view to exploring their potential for asking good questions.What to expect of a theoryThe very first step in considering this subject is to enquire what we mean by theory. The root meaning is not controversial: the Shorter Oxford Dictionary gives, among others, one that fits our case, "A scheme or system of ideas or statements held as an explanation of a group of facts or phenomena". The operative word is "explanation"; the familiar expression "descriptive theory" is an oxymoron.Theories use concepts to organize raw material into variables, abstract categories concerning causal variables (independent) and outcome variables (dependent). The common distinction is between deductive and inductive theories. In deductive theory, the hypotheses to be tested are drawn from postulates and principles that are held to be true while inductive theory builds up hypotheses from observation and adjusts them as experience dictates. Most social science is inductive, but there are important theoretical schools that are deductive. Both Marxism and Public Choice theories start from first principles and deduce their hypotheses. The theory of the class struggle, for example, made it very difficult for the leaders of the Communist countries to accept that working class protests against their governments could be genuine.Glor (2008: 3) recalls the advantages of inductive theory, since it is constantly adjusting itself to take account of new evidence. She also makes a distinction between substantive and formal theory. …

Not All on the Same Page: E-Book Adoption and Technology Exploration by Seniors.

Abstract: Introduction. This paper aims to understand the adoption of e-books and ereaders by persons aged sixty and above. This includes an investigation into where seniors are in the stages of e-book adoption. Method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews in a midsize city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Analysis. Interviews were transcribed, and coded using grounded theory. Rogers's model of the innovation-decision process was used to inform the data analysis process. Results. The results show three key factors affecting adoption: longing for materiality, technology confidence, and technology exploration. While seniors are interested in e-books and e-readers, see many benefits to their use, and are curious about how they function, the majority perceive this technology as being primarily appropriate for younger generations. Conclusion. The findings have implications for our understanding of the diffusion of innovations amongst the senior population and the development of services geared toward them. E-books and e-readers are technologies that could prove beneficial, aiding with issues related to both portability and convenience. However, e-books do not allow for the sharing of books that this population is accustomed to, and many of them are still on the fence about fully adopting this tool into their reading practices.

Exploring e-Learning Effectiveness Perceptions of Local Government Staff Based on the Diffusion of Innovations Model

Abstract: This study adopts the diffusion of innovations model as a research framework to examine adult learner perceptions related to workplace e-learning effectiveness. Recent training reform efforts focus...

Adoption and Diffusion of Evidence-Based Addiction Medications in Substance Abuse Treatment

Abstract: A substantial body of research confirms the effectiveness of addiction medications for alcohol and opioid use disorders, yet the adoption of their use in treatment continues at a slow pace (Brown and Flynn 2002; Thomas and McCarty 2004; Knudsen and Roman 2012). In addition, treatment practices are being strongly influenced by managed care and related economic pressures to limit services, which further diminishes interest in adopting new evidence-based practices that are viewed as increasing pressure to “do more with less” (Drake et al. 2001; Goldman et al. 2001; Simpson 2002). Research suggests that barriers or supports to transferring research and evidence-based technologies to practice increasingly operate at policy, environmental, and organizational levels (e.g., regulatory and financial pressures, insurance coverage, inter-organizational linkages, organizational climate, staffing and resources, management structures, and philosophies) (Backer 1995; Harris and Thomas 2004; Fuller et al. 2005; Kovas et al. 2007; Simpson, Joe, and Rowan-Szal 2007). Research that explores the adoption and diffusion of evidence-based innovations in addiction treatment has largely focused on the application of alternative methodologies of technology transfer (e.g., staff training) and other program and staff characteristics associated with adoption and diffusion (Simpson 2002; Roman, Ducharme, and Knudsen 2006). In this study, we examine the adoption and diffusion of three evidence-based addiction medications1 —disulfiram, naltrexone, and buprenorphine—in substance abuse treatment facilities over time, estimating the influence of state policies and other external factors, as well as internal treatment facility characteristics. Each of these three addiction medications varies in terms of the particular condition it is intended to treat and its stage of adoption. Disulfiram has been used for decades to treat alcohol dependence; naltrexone was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1984 as a treatment for opioid dependence and then later (in 1994) as an adjunct to the treatment of alcohol dependence; and buprenorphine was approved by the FDA for treatment of opioid dependence in 2002. To date, studies of these addiction medications have focused primarily on treatment programs as the unit of analysis, exploring the relationships of internal organization characteristics (size, age, staff education and training, ownership status, affiliations, services, etc.) to the adoption or use of these medications. Although this research confirms that treatment facility attributes are important predictors of the use of evidence-based addiction medications (Roman and Johnson 2002; Fuller et al. 2005; Knudsen et al. 2005b; Knudsen, Ducharme, and Roman 2006; Roman, Ducharme, and Knudsen 2006; Ducharme et al. 2007), few studies have explicitly considered the role of interorganizational and other external professional, policy, and environmental factors on adoption and diffusion. In addition, a majority of existing studies use a single cross-section of data in their empirical analyses, which, along with limited samples of treatment organizations, have contributed to some initial conflicting findings in the literature (Schmidt et al. 2012). The broader theoretical literature on the adoption and diffusion of innovations identifies important roles for external pressures and environmental influences, in addition to organizational characteristics (Berry and Berry 1990; Damanpour 1991; Borins 1998; Rogers 2003). Summarizing key theoretical tenets, awareness (“early knowing”) and salience of innovations is an important first step, and dissemination of evidence showing that the use of an innovation is feasible and effective is critical. Research across substantive areas suggests that exposure to this type of information and the adoption behavior of others through direct ties and indirect, structural correspondence (i.e., “environmental scanning”) influences the adoption of new practices, with the threshold for knowledge transfer lower in more collaborative settings. In other words, the social and communication structures in which treatment organizations operate and the norms (or patterns of behavior) they establish will affect the rate of adoption and diffusion (Rogers 2003). Both the number of adopters, as well as the proximity of adopting entities, also influences the likelihood that a particular organization will decide to implement an innovation (Walker 1969; Berry and Berry 1990, 1992). As more organizations adopt over time, social pressures to conform increase, along with the perceived legitimacy of adopting, which in turn reduces costs associated with evaluating evidence on technologies. As innovations and related policies gain legitimacy and are adopted in neighboring jurisdictions, they are more likely to be viewed as viable solutions to problems, even if politically or socially contentious (Jensen 2003). States thus have the potential to play important roles in allocating resources for disseminating research evidence and in encouraging and legitimizing adoption of addiction medications, through, for example, their identification on state Medicaid drug formularies and other Medicaid/managed care policies that promote their use (Harris and Thomas 2004). Licensing, accreditation, and oversight bodies likewise have a role in encouraging innovation by requiring evidence of quality improvement, reinforcing professional norms that support adoption of innovations, and influencing the capacity-building efforts of potential adopters (Oser and Roman 2007). Learning over time can also reduce the level of uncertainty surrounding an innovation and improve conditions for adoption (Mooney 2001). In addition, third-party initiatives intended to increase interorganizational connections and treatment facilities’ familiarity with these medications, such as the Clinical Trials Network, Drug-Free Coalitions, and Screening and Brief Intervention efforts, may also hold promise for increasing their adoption and diffusion (Oser and Roman 2007; Rieckmann, Kovas, and Rutkowski 2010). Timing and rate are other elemental variables in the modeling of diffusion of innovations. Among the addiction medications in the time period we examine, none had reached a “majority” adopters stage, and the adoption rates of the medications in use longer (disulfiram and naltrexone) leveled off at relatively low levels. Still, the low or stable year-to-year levels of adoption of addiction medications obscure variation in facilities’ offering of them over time. Once a facility has adopted an addiction medication—that is, it reports offering the medication to patients at the time we observe it in our sample—what factors contribute to continued availability of this medication at the facility in subsequent years, or to the adoption of this same medication by other facilities that were not offering the medication at the time we first observed them (i.e., diffusion)? Research suggests that the compatibility of innovations—the degree to which they are believed to be consistent with values, objectives, capabilities, and client needs—and the costs and difficulty of using them are important determinants of their adoption and continued availability (Rogers 2003). An important limitation of prior research is a lack of information on policy and environmental factors and how changes in external factors influence adoption and diffusion over time. Among the different variables identified above as important to diffusion (e.g., public policies and incentives for investments in innovations and their dissemination, monitoring and legitimization, environmental scanning and interorganizational ties/networks, and other structural and environmental factors), few studies have constructed measures of these factors at a level other than the organization/treatment center. For example, Knudsen and Roman (2004) defined “environmental scanning” based on treatment center administrators’ estimates of the extent to which their staff drew their knowledge of treatment innovations from publications and professional associations. National Treatment Center Study researchers measured the diffusion of buprenorphine using counselor reports of their knowledge of the effectiveness of the treatment at single point in time; a “don’t know” answer was coded as indicating “lack of diffusion” (Knudsen et al. 2005a; Roman, Ducharme, and Knudsen 2006). Others have also shown how public policies and factors such as increased cost containment pressures and shifts in ownership and funding interact with organizational characteristics to influence the internal environment of substance abuse treatment programs and treatment approaches (Zarkin et al. 1995; Schmidt and Weisner 1993; Heinrich and Fournier 2004). These studies suggest that state governments have the potential to influence the adoption of addiction medications and increase access to clinically proven, cost-effective treatments for substance abuse.

Structuration bridging diffusion of innovations and gender relations theories: a case of paradigmatic pluralism in IS research

Abstract: This paper discusses the adoption of a pluralist theoretical framework - one that is also multiparadigmatic - for conducting and publishing information system IS research. The discussion is illustrated by a single case study involving the Australian cotton industry. The theoretical framework is informed by three sociological theories, each with its particular paradigmatic assumptions: structuration theory as a meta-theory, and diffusion of innovations and gender relations as lower-level theories from notionally opposing paradigms. Theoretical pluralism helped to produce rich findings, illuminating both the social nature of women farmers' roles, the materiality of the cotton farming context, the characteristics of the decision support systems in use and the recursive way in which human agency and institutional pressures shape each other. Because users of so-called divergent paradigms often face criticism based on the incommensurability issue, one of the main contributions of this paper is to discuss the value of a pluralist and multiparadigmatic theoretical framework in dealing with complex IS social phenomena.

Testing the moderating role of need for cognition in smartphone adoption

Abstract: While numerous studies have identified various cognitive and social factors affecting the adoption of new technologies and innovations, the role of individual differences has not yet received full ...

An application of the Diffusion of Innovations theory to the investigation of blended language learning

Abstract: This study investigates technology-enhanced blended learning in an English as a Second Language (ESL) program from the theoretical perspective of Diffusion of Innovations theory. The study first established that the use of a learning management system (LMS) in two ESL classes represented an educational innovation. Next, the innovation attributes described by Rogers (relative advantage, complexity, trialability, and observability) were examined. Then, the stages of the innovation-decision process (knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation) were analyzed. Two ESL teachers and thirty-one students used the LMS to combine face-to-face classroom learning and online learning in the computer lab and for homework. Both qualitative data (in-depth teacher interviews, class and lab observations, and a student focus group) and quantitative data (student surveys) were analyzed. The main findings indicate that the innovation shared common attributes with other innovations and that both positive a...

Can international health programmes be sustained after the end of international funding? The case of eye care interventions in Ghana

Abstract: There is general agreement amongst major international policy makers that sustainability is a key component of health interventions in developing countries. However, there is little evidence on the factors enabling or constraining sustainability. Diffusion of innovation theory can help explain how the continuation of activities is related to the attributes of innovations. Innovations are characterised by five attributes: (i) relative advantage; (ii) compatibility; (iii) complexity; (iv) triability; and (v) observability. An eye care programme was selected as a case study. The programme was implemented in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana and had been funded over a ten-year period by an international organisation. Sustainability in the study was defined as the level of continuation of activities after the end of international funding. Measuring the continuation of activities involved checking whether each eye care activity continued (i.e. out-patient consultation, cataract surgery, outreach, school health, and statistics) or was interrupted after the end of Swiss Red Cross funding the 11 district hospitals where the programme was implemented. The results showed a relationship between the level of sustainability and the attributes of every activity. The activities with the lowest score for the attributes were less sustained. School health screening was the least sustained activity after the end of international funding. This activity also held the smallest score in terms of attributes: they were the most incompatible and most complex activities, as well as the least triable and observable activities, amongst the four district activities. In contrast, compared to the three other district activities, facility-based consultations were more likely to be routinised because they were perceived by the hospital managers as very compatible, and not complex. Using diffusion of innovations theories can help predict the sustainability of specific activities within a health programme. The study also highlighted the need for disentangling the various components of a health programme in order to identify which activities are more likely to be continued within a health system. The same methodology could be used in a different setting and could help predict which innovations are more likely to be adopted and maintained over time.