Attributes of Innovations How the properties of an innovation affect their rate of adoption.

Perceptions Count The receiver's perceptions of the attributes of an innovation, not the attributes as classified by experts or changes agents, affect its rate of adoption.

Moore and Benbasat (1990) Developed a set of scale items to measure each of the five main attributes of innovation Methodology that can be used within future research

Relative advantage The relative advantage of an innovation, as perceived by members, is positively related to its rate of adoption… $$$ Status Incentives Mandates

Compatibility As perceived by members of a social system, is positively related to its rate of adoption Combatable with old ideas Innovation negativism – previous negative experiences make for perception of incompatibility Naming

Complexity As perceived by members of a social system, is negatively related to its rate of adoption

Trialability As perceived by members of a social system, is positively related to its rate of adoption.

Observability As perceived by members of a social system, is positively related to its rate of adoption

Innovativeness Criterion for adopter categorization The degree to which an individual is relatively earlier in adopting a new idea or innovation It is a continuous variable – so partitioning it into discrete categories is a conceptual device

Adopter Categorization Use mean and standard deviation to divide the normal adopter distribution into categories

Innovators Venturesome Friendships among innovators Substantial financial resources Understand and apply complex technical knowledge Ability to deal with high degree of uncertainty

Early Adopters Respected Integrated part of local social system Greatest degree of opinion leadership

Early Majority Deliberate Adopt new ideas just before the average member of a system Interact frequently with their peers Most numerous adopter category (one- third of the system) Follow with deliberate willingness in adopting innovations, but seldom lead.

Late Majority Skeptical Adoption may be both an economic necessity and the result of increasing network pressures from peers Innovations are approached with a skeptical an cautious air Pressure of peers is necessary to motivate adoption Scarce resources – uncertainty must be removed

Laggards Traditional Last to adopt Point of reference is the past Decisions are made in terms of what ahs been done previously Suspicious of innovation and change agents Limited resources

Socioeconomic Characteristics for earlier adopters Age not factor More years of education More likely to be literate Higher social status Greater degree of upward social mobility Have larger units (farms, schools, companies)

Socioeconomic It has been show that innovators become richer and the laggards become relatively poorer through the innovation process

Personality Variables – earlier adopters Greater empathy than later adopters Less dogmatic Greater ability to deal with abstractions Greater intelligence More favorable attitude toward change Ability to cope with uncertainty Have a favorable attitude toward science Less fatalistic (ability to control their future) Higher aspirations

Communication Behavior – earlier adopters More social participation More highly interconnected More change agent contact Greater exposure to mass media Greater exposure to interpersonal communication channels Seek info. About innovations more actively Higher degree of opinion leadership

Summary Adopter categories are the classification of members of a social system on the basis of innovativeness Dominant attributes are: Innovators – venturesome Early adopters – respect Early majority – deliberate Late majority – skeptical Laggards – traditional

Summary Generally early adopters have higher economic status that late adopters Variables include: Socioeconomic Personality Communication Change agent can use these adopter categories for audience segmentation – when devising an approach to influencing various individuals