Diffusion of innovations

About: Diffusion of innovations is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2139 publications have been published within this topic receiving 191397 citations. The topic is also known as: diffusion of innovation & diffusion of innovations theory.

Organizational Influences in Technology Adoption Decisions: A Case Study of Digital Libraries

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to understand the organizational level decision factors in technology adoption in the context of digital libraries. A qualitative case study approach was used to investigate the adoption of a specific technology, XML-based Web services, in digital libraries. Rogers’s diffusion of innovations and Wenger’s communities of practice were the theories used to frame the study. The data collected through interviews were triangulated with documentary evidence and a comprehensive member check. Four organizational level influences identified when making technology adoption decisions in the context of digital libraries were organizational structure, management style, focus and direction of the program, and relationships with external entities. Attributes including program size, organizational culture and availability of financial resources contributed to these organizational level influences whereas program size did not appear to have an effect. Informal communication mechanisms were found to inform and influence the decision-making process.

Environmental management in the Caribbean accommodations sector.

Abstract: Th is study focused on the implementation of environmental management (EM) in the Caribbean accommodations sector based on diff usion of innovations theory. More specifi cally, it examined the status of EM and the diff erences between adopters and non-adopters in terms of hotel characteristics, attitudes to the natural environment, familiarity, and the constraints to implementation. Th is study was conducted among general managers and owners of various types of accommodations within the 19 English-speaking countries of the Caribbean. Data were collected via an online user-administered questionnaire due to the wide geographic range. Th ere were 197 completed questionnaires with at least one respondent from each country. Based on the results, four diff erent levels of EM have been implemented and have diff used to two thirds of the sector throughout the region, though some countries exhibited a higher proportion of adopters. Generally, adopters were small properties 75 rooms or less. Adopters and non-adopters were compared to determine diff erences and there were very few variations between adopters and non-adopters. However, given that adoption of EM is still in the growth segment of the diff usion curve, the number of non-adopters may decrease over time as some of the non-adopters have indicated that they were relatively new properties and/or intended to implement EM in the future. Overall, the results have implications for hoteliers, local and regional hotel associations, and policy makers.

The diffusion of innovations into psychiatric practice.

Abstract: Unsurprisingly, given that this is the Clinical Computing column, the assessment and treatment systems I mentioned above are built on computer technology. They are part of a compelling body of literature reporting the efficacy of computers in clinical psychiatry. Among other findings, this literature claims that patients like giving their histories to computers (3), that adolescents are more honest with computers than with clinicians (4), that computer-based assessments can be comparable to the best rating instruments used in research (5), and that computer-assisted treatments are effective and well received (2,6,7). Scores of papers, none convincingly challenged. Why have computer-based systems not swept into clinical use? Rogers (8), in his seminal Diffusion of Innovations, studied the elements that determine whether an innovation spreads throughout a group. He and other innovation researchers have examined a host of historical successful and unsuccessful innovations and tried to identify the factors that explain the variance. His examples range from the adoption of scurvy prophylaxis by the British Navy to the popular rejection of the Dvorak typewriter-keyboard layout.

The E-Banking and the Adoption of Innovations from the Perspective of the Transactions Cost Theory: Case of the Largest Commercial Banks in Lebanon

Abstract: Based on the transactions cost theory, this article aims to explore the adoption and the integration of innovations and e-banking by the largest commercial banks in Lebanon. Referring to Rogers’ models (Diffusion of innovations. The Free Press, A Division of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1983 [16]; Diffusion of innovations. New York Free Press, 1995 [17]), we studied the effects of this adoption on transactions costs and we presented the key role played by information and communications technology (ICT) in organizations, especially at the cost level. Using a qualitative approach, our study reveals the complexity of this concept, particularly regarding the integration strategies of the latest technological innovations within the banking sector, which appear to be essential for the development and the continuity of the sector at the national and regional levels

A Paradox of Virtual Teams and Change: An Implementation of the Theory of Competing Commitments

Abstract: During a longitudinal participant observation study of a virtual software development team, a strange paradox was noted. A new software development methodology was introduced to the project and the developers were initially committed to its use. Over time, the commitment gradually decreased to the stage where aspects of the new methodology were practically ignored. As the team was a virtual team, with group members rarely congregating as a whole for any length of time, it was hard to explain why this diminishing of commitment occurred. The remoteness and part-time participation of group members meant that the team deciding themselves to ignore aspects of the methodology was not a likely possibility. A review of existing research suggested that the concepts behind the diffusion of innovations (specifically software process innovations) may have a bearing. Although pertinent to the area of introducing new software development methodologies, diffusion theories did not provide a complete explanation for the decrease in commitment that was observed. The theory of competing commitments was applied, and it was discovered that one cause of the decreased commitment among team members was groupthink. Groupthink should not be a problem with virtual teams as there should be less cohesion—the lack of contact between members dictating the low level of cohesion. Further analysis showed that traditional peer groupthink was not the issue, but hierarchical groupthink influenced by the project manager had a large influence. These findings are in contrast to most expectations regarding virtual teams, including the project management of virtual teams.