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1.
Diffusion of Innovations
A.
Diffusion is the process through which an innovation is communicated through
certain channels over time among the members of society.
B. An Innovation is an idea, practice, or object perceived as new by an
individual or other unit adoption.
1. Characteristics determine it's rate of adoption.
C. Innovations have five attributes
1. Relative advantage is the degree to which it is seen as better than
the idea it supersedes, and can be measured in terms of economics, convenience,
and satisfaction.
2. Compatibility is the degree to which it is seen as consistent with
the existing values, experiences, and needs of the receivers.
3. Complexity is the degree to which it is seen as difficult to understand
and use.
4. Trialability is the degree to which it may be experimented with on
a limited basis.
5. Observability is the degree to which the results are visible to the
receiver and to others.
D. Communication between the source and receivers must take place if the
innovation is to take place.
1. The essence of diffusion is the human interaction through which one
person communicates a new idea.
2. Communication channels determine and individual's decision to adopt
or reject and idea.
a. Mass media channels transmit messages that enable a source of one or
a few individuals to reach an audience of many.
b. Interpersonal channels involve face to face exchanges between two or
more individuals.
E. Time is involved in the innovation - decision process, in the innovativeness
of an individual and in the innovation's rate of adoption.
1. The innovation - decision process is the process through which an individual
passes from first knowledge of an innovation, to forming an attitude toward
it, to a decision to adopt, reject or discontinue, to implementation of
the idea, to confirmation of this decision.
2. Innovativeness is the degree to which an individual is relatively earlier
in adopting new ideas than the other members of a system, and there are
five categories.
a. Innovators - research - minded, scientific, venturesome, leaders with
high financial standing.
b. Early adopters - progressive, local leaders, high contact with local
change agents.
c. Early majority - more conservative, many informal contacts, average
social status.
d. Late majority - skeptical and have little activity outside of community.
e. Laggards - conservative, low education, little membership in anything,
low social status.
3. Rate of adoption is the relative speed with which an innovation is
adopted by a certain percentage of members of a system.
F. Diffusion occurs because the social structure of a society affects
the innovation's diffusion of patterns.
1. Opinion leaders influence individuals' attitudes or behavior in a desired
way with relative frequency.
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2.
Persuasion stage - begin to see benefits.
a.
Opinion leaders are usually more exposed to communication about new ideas,
more socially accessible, more cosmopolite, higher social status, and
more innovative.
3. Diffusion is more successful when the source and receiver are homophilous,
have similar beliefs, values, and social status.
G. Diffusion Strategies
1. A change agent must adjust the program of innovations to the way of
life of clients.
2. A change agent will be more successful if innovations are introduced
that match clients' needs.
3. Change agents should design diffusion programs so that the innovations
are compatible with their clients' past experiences with innovation.
4. Change agents must work with opinion leaders.
5. Change agents should try to predict the social consequences for their
client system of the innovation they introduce.
111. Consequences of innovation
A. Consequences are classified are desirable vs. undesirable, direct vs.
indirect, and anticipated vs. unanticipated.
1. Desirable are the functional effects of an innovation to an individual
or to a society. Undesirable are dysfunctional effects.
2. Direct are the changes to an individual or society that occur in immediate
response to an innovation. Indirect are changes that result from the direct
consequences.
3. Anticipated are changes due to an innovation that are reconised and
intended by the members of society. Unanticipated are the changes that
are neither intended nor reconised.
B. Equality vs. inequality consequences depend on how an innovation is
introduced and whether it is high - cost.
1. An innovation may widen the socioeconomic gap in a society's structure.
2. Social structure variables are not a complete barrier to greater equality
in the consequences of innovations.
C. Th pro - innovation bias is the assumption underlying most research
that an innovation should be adopted by all members of society, that is
should be diffused more rapidly, and that it should be neither re - invented
nor rejected.
1. This leads to ignorance about innovations, underemphasizing their rejection,
failure to study antidiffusion programs, and overlooking re - invention.
2. Individual blame assumes an individual is at fault for not adopting
an innovation.
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