Chapter 8
Diffusion of Innovation
IN THE BEGINNING…
• Diffusion of Innovation is a communication theory with its
roots in rural sociology
•
It was used to determine the effectiveness of different methods
of informing farmers about new (innovative) farming practices.
• Research done in the 1940s on innovative hybrid corn
seed (a new farming practice) revealed that farmers were
not using it, even though it produced more corn and
would raise their profits.
IN THE BEGINNING…
• The explanation for the farmers’ slow adoption of the
new seed was that the spread and adoption of an
innovation is a social process that takes time.
• Further research identified four main aspects of
diffusion:
• Innovation-decision process
• Role and source of the communication channel
• Adoption rate
• Characteristics of people who adopt an innovation at the
various rates
CONCEPT
• Theory Essence Sentence
• Behavior changes as innovations are
adopted.
CONSTRUCTS
• Innovation (new idea, product)
• Channels through which it is communicated
• Time (innovation-decision process and adoption
curve)
• The social system
• Diffusion is the process by which this takes place
THE INNOVATION
• An innovation is something new or novel
• A device
• A practice
• An idea
• A product
• Brainstorm some innovations relative to the field of
health
THE INNOVATION
• Characteristics of an innovation that increases
the likelihood of adoption include:
• Having an advantage over what is already
available
• Compatibility with social norms and values
• Trial on a limited basis
• Ease of use
• Having observable results
THE INNOVATION – RELATIVE ADVANTAGE
• Relative advantage: Is it better than what is already
available?
• Greater chance of adoption if it is better than what is
already available or fills a void
• Female condom
•
When introduced it had a decided advantage over what
was available because no other product like it existed
• “Candy” calcium supplements
•
Changing from a large pill to a smaller candy-like chewable
THE INNOVATION - COMPATIBILITY
• Compatibility: Is it compatible with social norms and
values
• Innovation needs to mesh well with culture, social
environment
• Hand sanitizers introduced in the 80s. At the time not
considered socially acceptable therefore use was not
widespread
•
•
Induced the feeling that the establishment was “dirty”
Then, over time society became more germ conscious and
adoption increased
THE INNOVATION - TRIALABILITY
• Trialability:
can innovation be used on a trial basis?
• If individuals can use innovation without making a huge
commitment in terms of money, time or effort
= increased chance of adoption
• Pharma giving doctors free medication samples
• Free samples promote physician adoption of medication
as well as patient adoption
THE INNOVATION - COMPLEXITY
• Complexity:
Is it easy to use?
• The more complex it is to understand and use the
less likely it is to be adopted or tried
• Female condoms are not easy to use the first time
and this can inhibit future use
• Nicotine patch
• Simple to use and apply
= increased rate of adoption
THE INNOVATION - OBSERVABILITY
• Observability: Does it produce visible results?
• If results of using the innovation can be seen by others it
is more likely to be adopted
• Think about the rate of adoption of breast augmentation,
tattoos and body piercing
= Noticeable Results!
• Chiropractic & acupuncture care are different way to
treat illness
• First seen with skepticism
• Now seen as acceptable treatment options
APPLICATION OF CHARACTERISTICS OF
INNOVATION:
SAFETY HELMET
Relative advantage
Rider believes a helmet is better protection against the pavement
than his bare head, and that his head is more important than looking
cool, he is more likely to begin wearing one
Compatibility
If nobody in the biker's circle of friends thinks the new helmet is a
good idea, he is less likely to wear one.
Complexity
If the design of the helmet does not make its protective features
clear immediately, if it is hard to wear, or if it is hard to put on, our
biker is less likely to wear it.
Trialability
If the motorcycle rider can try and return a helmet within 30 days for
a full refund, he will be more likely to wear it.
Observability
If the biker's friends begin talking positively about the protective
features of helmets, he is more likely to try one.
Summary: Innovations perceived by individuals as having greater relative advantage,
compatibility, trialability, observability, and less complexity will be adopted more rapidly
than other innovations
COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
• The communication channel is how an innovation is
diffused or spread through a society.
• It is a social process
• Most rapid and effective means of diffusion is
through mass media
• Internet, television, newspapers, radio
• Interpersonal communications between those sharing
similar traits
•
Beliefs, education level, SES, gender
TIME &
INNOVATION-DECISION PROCESS
• It takes time for a decision to be made to adopt an
innovation
• Steps in the decision process:
• knowledge
• persuasion
• decision
• implementation
• confirmation
KNOWLEDGE
• Before people can think about adopting
something new, they have to know it exists
• How is it made aware to the public?
• Magazines, tv, internet, direct mail?
• Disclosure by well-known and trusted public figures?
PERSUASION
• People develop an attitude toward the innovation
once they have knowledge of it.
• Positive or negative attitude
• Go through a process where by they mentally “try it
on” to see if they like the idea or it or not
• What is their perception after this process?
• Sometimes opinion leaders are persuaded first to gain
access to the larger portion of the target
DECISION
• The decision to try an innovation depends on:
• Knowledge of the innovation
• Attitude toward innovation
• Engage in activities that result in decision to adopt
or reject
• Knowledge + positive attitude usually leads to trial,
but not always
• Trying the candy calcium supplement
IMPLEMENTATION
• Implementation occurs when the innovation is tried
• Results in one of the following:
• adoption
• rejection
• or re-invention of the innovation
• If the trial implementation results are:
• Positive…. the innovation is adopted.
• Negative… the innovation is rejected.
• Mixed…… the innovation is modified.
CONFIRMATION
• Sometimes the innovation-decision process is:
• Completed
• Rejected
• When decision to adopt is made we need
reinforcement
• Via others to confirm that the decision to adopt is a
good one = Ultimately adopting
• If receive conflicting messages may reject
TIME - ADOPTION RATE
• People tend to adopt innovations at a reasonably
predictable rate depending on certain
characteristics.
TIME - ADOPTION RATE
• The following five categories reflect characteristics
and the amount of time it takes for innovation
adoption.
• Innovators
• Early adopters
• Early majority
• Late majority
• Laggards
CHARACTERISTICS OF INNOVATORS
•
Innovators tend to be:
• Risk takers
• Tech savvy
• Independent
• Change oriented
• They try everything as soon as possible
CHARACTERISTICS OF EARLY
ADOPTERS
• Early Adopters tend to be:
• Community opinion leaders
• Well respected
• Role models
• Highly educated with high SES
• They have a complex network of friends and
colleagues and are very influential people
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY MAJORITY
• The Early Majority tend to:
• be greatly influenced by opinion leaders and the
mass media
• adopt things over time
• Given the sheer number of people this represents,
when they begin to adopt an innovation, it becomes
mainstream
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LATE
MAJORITY
• The Late Majority tend to:
• Question change
• Have more modest financial resources
• Wait until an innovation is an established
norm or for it to become a social or
economic necessity.
• Greatly influenced by their peers.
CHARACTERISTICS OF LAGGARDS
• Laggards tend to be:
• Conservative and traditional
• Less educated with lower SES
• Suspicious of innovation
• Adverse to risk taking
• Geographically mobile and detached from the social
environment
• They wait until very late, even when it’s obvious the
innovation is advantageous
SOCIAL SYSTEM
• A social system can be individuals, an informal
or formal group of people, or organizations that
are interrelated and engaged in solving a joint
problem to accomplish a goal.
• Diffusion takes place through these social
systems
CLASS ACTIVITY
• Read the explanation of fecal occult blood testing
on pages 216-217 in your text.
• With this background and using the characteristics
of an innovation, what would an innovative method
of testing for fecal occult blood look like?
THEORY IN ACTION
• Read the following article on page 218 in your text:
• Harden E, Moore A, & Melvin C. (2011).
Exploring perceptions of colorectal cancer and
fecal immunochemical testing among African
Americans in a North Carolina community.
Preventing Chronic Disease 2011;8(6):A134.
http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2011/nov/10_0
234.htm.
CHAPTER ACTIVITY QUESTIONS
1. How does FIT differ from FOBT in relation to the
characteristics of an innovation?
Relative advantage: FIT preferred over FOBT because no food restrictions
Compatibility: Perceive FIT and FOBT as “gross”. Storage of FIT is difficult
Complexity: Multi-step instructions of FIT are challenging, difficult for low literacy
Trialability: Some thought experimentation/use of FOBT was easy, others thought
more difficult.
Observability: Discussed how do not hear about CRC screenings compared to
other types of screenings. Fear of taking necessary steps
CHAPTER ACTIVITY QUESTIONS
2. Were these characteristics among those that your
group identified?
Answers vary
3. What suggestions were given to increase the
likelihood of FIT adoption?
Complexity: Clearer instructions and written in large type. Addition of illustrations.
Trialability: Hands-on practice (also increases)
Compatibility: Adding a storage device to secure samples
Observability: Mass media campaigns to increase visibility
CHAPTER ACTIVITY QUESTIONS
4. Other than the characteristics of the innovation,
what other factors were identified as being an
impediment to increasing colon cancer screening?
Provider Recommendation: Doctors are an important information source
Healthcare Cost and Access: Affordable screening and follow-up