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.

Regional innovation system in the South Moravian Region

Abstract: Innovations are generally considered a key factor o f the socio-economic development. Innovation policy strives to create favourable cond itions for introduction and diffusion of innovations. The Czech Republic has dealt with this topic intensively since the turn of the century. Another trend in innovation policy has bee n detected over the world in the last decades and it is the transfer of competences to re gional level. It is generally accepted that the location and spatial proximity are important for in novation development. In the article we demonstrate functioning of regional innovation syst em on the example of analysis of one region in the Czech Republic which is the South Moravian Region. The region pays big attention to innovation policy and has its own Regi onal innovation strategy. A specialized institution that puts most of innovation support me asures into practice was established too. Brno (regional capital city) and its surroundings h ave industrial character and specialize in ICT, machinery and life sciences (especially biotec hnology). Besides industry agricultural primary production and viniculture is important for the region too.

The role of governance mechanisms on the diffusion of innovation in healthcare networks

Abstract: This research investigated innovation diffusion in healthcare networks, focusing on the roles of contractual and relational governance mechanisms. The National Health Service (NHS) England is faced with many challenges, including an ageing population, austerity measures, changes in public expectations in terms of quality of healthcare delivery, advances in technology and medicines, and pressure to do more with less resources (Lacobucci, 2017; Wollaston, 2017). Several studies and practitioner reports identify innovation within healthcare networks as a means of dealing with the current challenges in NHS England (see Nicholson, 2011; Ham and Murray, 2015; Parris et al., 2016). Consequently, innovation is now at the heart of the healthcare agenda, with much of the rhetoric focused on the ability of NHS England to diffuse and adopt innovations (Barnett et al., 2011). Increasingly, studies are highlighting the linkages between innovation diffusion and governance, with many commentators suggesting that governance has an influence on innovation diffusion (Hartley, 2005; Savedoff, 2009; Mikkelsen-Lopez et al. 2011 Barbazza and Tello, 2014). Focusing on healthcare networks, researchers have stressed that governance is a function of mechanisms or processes which are formally and informally used to distribute responsibilities among actors (Kaufmann et al., 1999; WHO, 2007; Siddiqi et al., 2009). Governance affects the organisational environment in which innovation diffusion decisions are made and is typically believed to be represented by contractual and relational rules of exchange between the actors (Vandaele et al., 2007). Existing investigations have recognised that contractual and relational mechanisms play a significant role in networks (Cannon et al., 2000; Poppo and Zenger, 2002; Yang et al., 2012; Cao and Lumineau, 2015), but the nature of such roles and their interplay has not been established in relation to the diffusion of innovation in healthcare networks, particularly where a bottom-up, rather than top-down, approach to innovation has been employed. The bottom-up process of innovation diffusion highlights the key steps taken during diffusion process, whereby opportunities are created for individuals at the low and mid-level of an organisation to own the innovation, share ideas, and take decisions that enhance the diffusion process (Parnaby and Towil, 2008). This is in contrast to top-down diffusion processes, which are characterised by senior management staff developing innovation diffusion pathways that are expected to be embraced by frontline staff. Building on a review of relevant literature that included innovation diffusion, networks, governance, and contractual and relational governance mechanisms, an initial conceptual framework was developed. The study employed this framework to examine the role of governance mechanisms on the diffusion of innovation in healthcare networks, focusing on NHS England. The research adopted a case study methodology (Yin, 2014) and employed a single case design with multiple embedded sub-units of analysis. The study is part of a large collaborative research programme carried out by a multidisciplinary group of academics drawn from three different universities to evidence the value of an Academic Health Science Network (AHSN). The AHSN represented the single case and this study presents two of the seven embedded sub-units that were selected as projects supported by the AHSN that employed a bottom-up approach to innovation diffusion. The first sub-embedded unit focused on five maternity units and the second on eleven general practices in one English healthcare region. The research data were collected over an eighteen-month period, and incorporated multiple sources of evidence, including semi-structured interviews, observations and secondary data analysis. The findings indicated that the diffusion of innovation in healthcare networks can be promoted via a bottom-up approach enabled through the parallel use of formal governance mechanisms, in this case contracts, and relational governance mechanisms such as trust, information exchange and reputation. The research study also uncovered the key role played by boundary spanners and gatekeepers in orchestrating the innovation diffusion process through, for instance, the connection of experts and industry partners. Based on these findings, the research suggests that, when employing a bottom-up approach to innovation diffusion in healthcare networks it is important that the interplay between contractual and relational governance mechanisms is carefully managed, and that key actors are identified that can operate as boundary spanners and gatekeepers, supporting and championing the diffusion of innovations throughout the healthcare network.

Managing the Process of Commercialization as a Basis of Diffusion of Innovations and Development of Innovational Economy

Abstract: The purpose of the article is to substantiate the necessity and to develop the concept of managing the process of commercialization for successful diffusion of innovations and creation of innovational economy by the example of modern Russia. For determining the necessity for managing the process of commercialization for successful diffusion and creation of innovational economy, the authors compare the growth rate and determine the connection between quantitative indicators of efficiency of consecutive steps of the process of innovations’ commercialization in modern Russia on the basis of the official statistical information of the Federal State Statistics Service, supplemented by the authors’ forecast (due to limitation of the data) and successfulness of diffusion of innovations and creation of innovational economy, which indicator is the global innovational index, calculated yearly by the World Bank. For this, the methods of horizontal, trend, and correlation analysis are used, as well as the methods of structural & functional and logical analysis. The authors distinguish four consecutive steps of the process of commercialization of innovations and determine the corresponding statistical indicators for analysis. The results of the research showed that successfulness of commercialization of innovations determines the possibilities of the economic system in conduct of diffusion of innovations and creation of innovational economy. Market self-management leads to multiple “market gaps” and leads to necessity for state management of the process of commercialization of innovations. For this, the authors’ concept of managing the process of commercialization for successful diffusion of innovations and creation of innovational economy by the example of modern Russia is offered.

The moderating effect of psychological factors towards the diffusion of a web-based health information service (WBHIS)

Abstract: The use of the Internet to retrieve health information is increasingly common and becoming the centre from which an individual acquires knowledge to make informed decisions regarding his health. MyHEALTH Portal (MHP) is a web-based health information service (WBHIS) set up by the Ministry of Health Malaysia as one of the MSC Telehealth Flagship Application in 2005. It is a national initiative by the Malaysian Government to bring great advances to the country through the innovative use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) aims to empower and encourage individuals to be responsible for their health by providing health information and education online. This study is intended to investigate the MHP’s usage and other related factors specifically the psychological factors that influnce its usability using a quantitative research approach. It helps to understand factors that might hinder users from using MHP and inhibit them from making informed decision regarding their health condition. The findings would significantly help relevant parties to analyze the changes that are necessary in order to promote MHP to the mass. A conceptual framework is also developed indicating the key determinants of individual intention to use MHP through the central tenets of Rogers’s Diffusion of Innovations (DoIs) to identify the key critical success factors that influence individuals’ attitude based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) moderated by a psychological factors using the Health Belief Model (HBM).