DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION THEORY

LECTURER: DR. YAW GYAU

INDEX NUMBER: BACP  2016153

QUESTION: EXPLAIN DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION THEORY AS POSITED BY EVERETT ROGERS

This theory as explained by Everett Rogers seeks to establish the process, reasons and to what extent new ideas and technology are spread across a social system.

According to Everett Rogers, Diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system (as cited in his book Diffusion of Innovations (3rd Edition); page 5, 6 &7).

The Communication Studies Professor, Everett Rogers elaborated further that the newness of an idea in the message content of communication makes this theory unique since the messages are concerned with new ideas. Rogers also delineated four main elements that influence the spread of a new idea. These are the innovation stage, the communication channels through which the innovation is diffused, time and a social system.

When there is an innovation, it desires to be adopted by an individual, people or organizations. However, there are different types of adopters which are innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards. These adopters at any point in time assess the advantages and disadvantages of the innovation before they adopt it.

This is why diffusion of innovation, according to Rogers, comes into play through a five-step decision making process which is Knowledge stage, Persuasion, Decision, Implementation and Confirmation stages.

For example; in the advent of solar panels to boost productivity, an organization may know such innovation is in vogue but lacks vital information to help it adopt the use of solar panels. Therefore, at the knowledge stage, Rogers argues that the organization is not yet inspired to find more information about the innovation. The innovators will have to be persuasive and this therefore hypes the interest of the organization in the innovation to finds out more information about the new thing (solar panels).

The innovation then passes through the decision making stage where the organization weighs the merits and demerits of adopting the innovation, then determines the effectiveness of the innovation before confirming its usage. During the confirmation stage, as the innovation is diffused through a channel to the organization, the organization now makes a final decision to adopt the innovation to boost its productivity.

Rogers further stressed in his book "Diffusion of Innovations (3rd Edition)" that diffusion of innovation evokes a social change. He stated that when new ideas are invented, diffused and adopted or rejected, leading to certain consequences, social change occurs. The social change however occurs due to certain factors: political, environment, government policies and so forth.

In a nutshell, Rogers expounds that for an individual or organization to adopt a new idea, the person or organization must perceive the idea as innovative and the characteristics of the adopters are also very crucial in diffusing an innovation.