Factors affecting the Adoption of Innovation

Everett Rogers defined five attributes of innovations: (1) relative advantage, (2) compatibility, (3) complexity, (4) trialability, and (5) observability (Rogers, 1995). The five criteria that influence the adoption of innovations were further defined by Moore and Benbasat as: (1) Relative Advantage-the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being better than its precursor; (2) Compatibility-the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being consistent with the existing values, needs and past experiences of potential adopters; (3) Complexity-the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being difficult to use; (4) Observability-the degree to which the results of an innovation are observable to others and; (5) Trialability-the degree to which an innovation may be experimented with before adoption (Moore and Benbasat, 1989).

We frequently don't assess these factors when we put out an innovation and pay the consequences in push back from the users.

Is the number of proposals important

In much of my research we have seen that innovative companies tend to let the juices flow and generate many more proposals. It would be my recommendation to any company attempting to be more innovative to open up the faucet. Set open submission areas for important technology areas. This is consistent with the "Innovate Like Edison" book by Gelbe. The innovative organization presents "all" potential solutions to challenges before they start throwing out selections. The traditional organization picks a few potential solutions early in the process and only looks for ones that fit their preconceived notions of what the solution ought to be.

An innovative consultant can help you find all of the potential technical options for a challenge in your business. We look at small businesses, other industry partners and university R&D sources for potential options. We can help you invigorate your organization with new ideas.

Please Vote, our country needs YOUR leadership.

Steve