The Innovation- Decision Process

A Model  Five Stages: Knowledge: exposure and some understanding Persuasion: form a favorable or unfavorable attitude Decision: engage in activities that lead to a choice to adopt or reject Implementation: put an innovation to use Confirmation: seek reinforcement for innovation or reverses a previous decision to adopt or reject an innovation

Model of Stages

Stage 1: Knowledge  What comes first a need or awareness of an innovation? Research doe not provide a clear answer to this question  A need is a state of dissatisfaction or frustration that occurs when one’s desires outweighs one actualities

Selective exposure

Innovation driven needs  An individual may develop a need when he or she learns that an innovation exists Therefore innovations can lead to needs Change agent may cause this to happen

3 Types of Knowledge and the Change Agent  Awareness-knowledge - exists  How-to knowledge – how to use it  Principles-knowledge – functioning principles (germ theory and boiling of water) What is the role of change agent in bringing about the three types of knowledge?  Most change agents concentrate on awareness knowledge – mass media  Time spent more wisely if they focus on how-to knowledge (trial of an innovation – Persuasion stage)  Not in business of teaching principles-knowledge

Stage2: Persuasion  At this stage a favorable or unfavorable attitude toward the innovation is formed  Main type of thinking is affective or feeling  General perception of the innovation is developed  Mass media messages are too general to provide reinforcement  Mainly want to know if his or her thinking is on the right track, in comparison with the opinion of peers

Persuasion Questions  What are the innovation’s consequences?  What will its advantages be in my situation?  Reducing the risk through a innovation- evaluation process

Stage3: Decision  Occurs when an individual engages in activities that lead to a choice to adopt or reject an innovation  Adoption – is a decision to make full use of an innovation as best course of action available  Rejection - is a decision not to adopt an innovation

Trail – is important  Most individuals who try an innovation move to an adoption decision  Some innovation can not be divided for trial  In some individuals and for some innovations, the trial of a new idea by a peer like themselves can substitute, for their own trial  Change agents speed up the innovation- process by sponsoring demonstrations for a new idea in a social system – effective if the demonstrator is an opinion leader

Stage4: Implementation  Occurs when an individual puts an innovation into use  Questions: Where do I obtain the innovation? How do I use it? How does it work?  Implementation ends when the idea has become institutionalized

Re-Invention  The degree to which an innovation is changed or modified by a user in the process of its adoption and implementation

Why Re-Invention?  More complex more likely  Because of inadequate learning  Abstract concepts get re-invented  If innovation is implemented to solve a wide range of problems  Local pride (re-invented as local product)  Clients of change are encouraged to re-invent

Stage5: Confirmation  Adoption is not often the terminal stage  Seek reinforcement of the innovation- decision already made or reverses a previous decision  Individual dealing with internal disequilibrium or dissonance

Discontinuance  Is a decision to reject an innovation after having previously adopted it  Two types: Replacement discontinuance Disenchantment discontinuance  May come about because the innovation is inappropriate for the individual or misuse of the innovation (anyone experience these?)

Generalization 5-9:  Later adopters are more likely to discontinue innovations than are earlier adopters  High discontinuers: Have less formal education Lower socioeconomic status Less change agent contact Same characteristics as laggards

Communication Channels  Channel: is the means by which a message gets from the source to the receiver Channels are either 1) interpersonal or mass media in nature or 2) originating form either local or cosmopolite sources Play different roles in creating knowledge versus persuading individual to change their attitude toward an innovation

Mass Media Channels  Radio, television, newspapers, and so on  Enable a source of one or a few individuals to reach an audience of many  Mass media: Reaches a large audience Create knowledge and spread information Lead to changes in weakly held attitudes

Interpersonal channels  Involve a face-to-face exchange between two or more individuals  Formation and change of strongly held attitudes  Best at: Two-way exchange of information Persuading (persuasion stage) an individual to adopt an innovation

Generalization 5-11  Mass media channels are relatively more important at the knowledge stage and interpersonal channels are relatively more important at the persuasion stage in the innovation-decision process

Generalization 5-12  Cosmopolite channels are relatively more important at the knowledge stage, and localite channels are relatively more important at the persuasion stage in the innovation-decision process  Cosmopolite communication channels are those from outside the social system (mass media)  Localite communication channels are those inside (interpersonal)

Communication Channels by Adopter Categories  Generalization 5-13: Mass media channels are relatively more important than interpersonal channels for earlier adopters than for later adopters  Generalization 5-14: Cosmopolite channels are relatively more important than localite channels for earlier adopters than for later adopters

Innovation-Decision Period  Is the length of time required for an individual or organization to pass through the innovation-decision process

Innovation-Decision Period

Review

 Re-invention  Discontinuance  Communication channels Interpersonal Mass media Local Cosmopolite  Innovation-decision period (time) Difference in time per adopter type