Rogers' Five Attributes of Innovation

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the diffusion of a particular innovation within a farm goods retailer. It discusses the history of the diffusion process at this organization and identifies the opinion leaders and change agents promoting the decision and the ensuing results. The author then goes on to describe the innovation-decision process within the organization and the communication channels that exist within the organization.

From the Paper:

"In the course of one's organizational life, decisions about whether to adopt or reject a new innovation are fairly frequent; as most of us well-know, sometimes the decisions taken are wise, and sometimes the decisions taken are bad. With that in mind, the following paper will look at the diffusion of a particular innovation within a farm goods retailer for which I once worked. Specifically, I will begin by discussing the history of the diffusion process at this organization as best I can. From there, I will identify the opinion leaders and change agents promoting the decision and the success - or lack thereof - they encountered. With that out of the way, the essay will next look at the innovation-decision process within the organization as it unfolded when the new technology was adopted. From there, time will be set aside to looking at whether or not the organization adopted the new innovation and, if it did so, whether or not it was slow or fast in doing so. Pressing onward, an examination will be undertaken of why the change diffused at the pace it did and what role the organizational social structure played in the diffusion of the innovation. Finally, the paper will identify the communication channels and network existing within the social structure of the organization and how knowledge about the innovation was distributed and the role played by change agents in cultivating an acceptance of change. In the end, what will become evident is that long-standing institutional barriers - particularly organizational culture, the perception that one's interests are not served by the innovation, and the adaptability of older workers - all determine the rate of diffusion for an innovation."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Agbonlahor, Rosemary O. (2006). Motivation for use of information technology by University faculty: a developing country perspective. Information Development, 22(4): 263-277.
• Ascione, F.J. (1987). Effect of innovation characteristics on pharmacists' use of written patient medication information. Patient Education and Counseling, 9(1): 53-64.
• Cahill, J. (1995). Innovation and the role of the change agent. Professional Nurse, 11(1): 57-58.
• Marshall, J.G. (1990). Diffusion of innovation theory and end-user searching. Library & Information Science Research, 12(1): 55-69.
• Rogers, Everett M. (2003). Diffusion of Innovations, 5th Edition. New York: Free Press.

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