Food Innovation Matt

Drive SAFE 2 SAVE Lives & Money. Megan Bock, Guest Speaker

What is an Opinion Leader? Review From Last Week

Was Jerry Maguire a Change Agent? Clip 1, Clip 2 What is a Change Agent? Was Jerry Maguire a Change Agent? Clip 1, Clip 2

Objectives Define Change Agent Describe the problems faced by change agents Discuss the roles of change agents Apply the generalizations relative to change agent success Describe the purpose and role of an aide Determine the differences between centralized and decentralized diffusion models.

What is a change agent? An individual who influences clients’ innovation-decisions in a direction deemed desirable by a change agency.

Was Jerry Maguire a Change Agent? Why or why not? Let’s investigate….

Change Agents face two main problems: Social Marginality– Due to their positon midway between a change agency and their client system; Information Overload– The state of an individual or a system in which excessive communication inputs cannot be processed and used, leading to breakdown Did Jerry Maguire Face These Problems?

Seven Roles of Change Agent Develop a need for change on the part of the clients Establish an information exchange relationship Diagnose problems Create an intent to change the client Translate intentions into actions Stabilize adoption and prevent discontinuance Achieve a terminal relationship with clients Did Jerry Maguire Serve In These Roles?

Generalizations Related to Success of Change Agents The extent of the change agent’s effort in contacting clients A client orientation, rather than a change agency orientation The degree to which the diffusion program is compatible with client’s needs The change agent’s empathy with clients His or Her homophily with clients Credibility in the client’s eyes The extent to which he or she works through opinion leaders Increasing clients’ ability to evaluate innovations

Contact with Change Agents is Positively related to… Higher socioeconomic status among clients Greater social participation Higher formal education Cosmopoliteness Did Jerry Maguire Possess These Attributes?

Coercion in Norplant Diffusion Safaris in Indonesia What Was the Problem? Pages 371-373

What is an Aide? An Aide is a less than fully professional change agent who intensively contacts clients in order to influence their innovation-decisions. Aides not only provide lower cost contacts with clients, but they are also able to bridge the heterophily gap between professionals and clients (especially lower SES clients). Aides have less Competence Credibility—degree to which a communication source or channel is perceived as knowledgeable and expert; but they have greater Safety Credibility—degree to which a communication source or channel is perceived as trustworthy. Inauthentic Professionalism is the process through which an aide takes on the dress, speech, or other identifying marks of a professional change agent.

Centralized Diffusion System In centralized diffusion systems (example: Agricultural Extension), overall control of diffusion decisions is held by government officials and technical subject matter experts. Diffusion flows from the top down, from experts to users. R&D Change Agent Opinion Leader

DeCentralized Diffusion System In decentralized diffusion systems innovations spread by horizontal networks among near peers in a relatively spontaneous fashion. Innovations are created by certain local lead users and may be reinvented by other adopters. Local Innovators

Characteristics of Centralized and Decentralized Diffusion Systems Table 9.1 on page 396 Can you provide an example of centralized and decentralized diffusion systems?

Overview Defined Change Agent Described the problems faced by change agents Discussed the roles of change agents Applied the generalizations relative to change agent success Described the purpose and role of an aide Determined the differences between centralized and decentralized diffusion models.

Was Jerry Maguire a Change Agent? Why or why not?

Reminders Next week April 4 April 11 April 18 Class does not meet– Fill out the google form on Attributes of Innovations and their Rate of Adoption April 4 Innovations in Organizations and Consequences of Innovations Change Engagement Activities: Shannon, Maddison, BJ, Jae Food Innovation: Janie and Kyler April 11 Conflict Management During Change Change Engagement Activities: Matt, Janie, Kyler Food Innovation: Maddison, Jae April 18 Field Trip to Earth Galley Farms on Tabor Road Research Review Paper Due