Another structure for fulfilment is an innovator analysis. Although this is not as simple and as structured as an innovation analysis, it is important that you consider the people who will be required to be accepting the innovation or technical change. In this section, we will consider three topics and an introduction to the Individual Innovator Questionnaire:
A more sophisticated classification of people's tendencies toward innovation adoption is discussed next. Whether you choose to take a simple or more complex look at those involved, you should consider how best to tailor your implementation to meet their needs.
The point of this categorisation it is to highlight that you will need different strategies and implementation plans for various groups of people. Rogers' method of adopter categorisation is founded on statistical assumptions regarding the normal distribution. The five adopter categories are said to divide a normal adopter distribution into classifications resulting in standardised percentages of people in each category.
A great deal of research has illustrated that the adoption of an innovation over time can be represented as a normal distribution, when the ratio of people adopting during each time period is plotted.
We see that the frequency of adoption is low at the beginning, it begins to accelerate until it hits its peak, then begins to slow down again.
Please remember that these adopter categorisations are generalisations. They are rules-of-thumb that help us think about broad classifications of people and groups. There are no pronounced breaks in the innovativeness continuum between each of the five categories and, their boundaries are loosely defined and overlapping.
The following is a summary of the dominant characteristics and values of each adopter category and a discussion of related implementation issues:
The innovators are characterised as being venturesome. The innovative firms and individuals have substantial financial resources, the ability to cope with a high degree of uncertainty, and are eager to try new ideas. These people and organisations are risk takers. They are willing to accept an occasional setback or loss. When planning your implementation strategy, these people are your easiest "sell." If it is new and there are potential benefits, these people are ready to try it out.
Early adopters are a key group. Whereas innovators are cosmopolitan in terms of social relations, early adopters have more local connections. This category has the greatest degree of opinion leaders (opinion leaders are discussed in more detail below). Later adopters view these early adopters as the people to check with before using a new idea or technology. Early adopters are close enough to the main-stream to act as role models, they are respected and are the embodiment of successful and discrete use of new ideas. This is a key group in terms of your implementation strategy. Winning-over these people can be done with careful planning and consideration. If you fail to sway them in your favour, however, it could be catastrophic to your efforts.
The early majority are deliberate. They are just ahead of the statistically average adopter. They follow with deliberate willingness in adopting innovations, but seldom lead. They follow the innovators' and early adopters' lead. Once they have fallen in line, it is almost impossible to stop the innovation from taking hold. Your implementation planning must take into account several facts related to this group. First, once you start implementing to this group, you will experience a significant increase in numbers. That is, by the time you get to this group, you will have influenced somewhere between 16% and 50% of your population. Second, this is the first of the groups who are not naturally inclined to try something new, simply because it is something new. Finally, when you begin to get this group on side, you know things are going well as you are starting to reach a "critical mass" in terms of numbers.
The late majority are often sKeptics. They approach innovations and change with caution, most frequently in response to economic necessity or other pressures. They frequently have scarce resources and respond when almost all of the uncertainty about the innovation has been removed. This is the first of the two groups that will take up most of your time and energy. In order to win them over, you must reduce their uncertainty by providing a sound financial case and by showing them how the technology works in other parts of your organisation or in other organisations. They will probably be afraid of making a mistake or taking a wrong decision. You must plan for and deal with the fact that they are somewhat motivated by fear. You may have to adopt strategies for this group that are significantly different from the strategies you have devised for previous groups.
The laggards are traditionalists. They have
totally local and somewhat isolated social networks. They are the last to adopt the
innovation. Some people refer to this group as the Dinosaurs. Decisions are typically made
in relation to what has been done in the past. They are suspicious of innovation and of
change agents. They resist change, have scarce resources, and must be certain a new idea
will not fail before adopting it. This is the implementor's challenge group. They may be
the 20% of users that require 80% of your efforts. They are frequently motivated out of
fear. They do not want to make mistakes. You must be willing to move very slowly with
people in this group.
It is important to be able to identify opinion leaders for several reasons. As people concerned with the successful diffusion of technical innovations, opinion leaders can be among your greatest allies or your major obstacles. As part of a diffusion strategy, you may choose to give opinion leaders special attention by involving them early, getting their support, and/or giving them early opportunities with the innovation.
Opinion leaders are characterised by the following types of activities and attributes:
Again, please remember that these are generalisations.
Take some time to think about your work place. Who are the likely opinion leaders concerning innovation and new technology in your group, department or firm? Ask yourself the following types of questions:
Individual
Innovator Questionnaire
The Individual
Innovator Questionnaire will help you assess an individual's
personal ability to be innovative, and understand the
criteria that can help them overcome barriers.
By completing the questionnaire, you can get an indication of where an individual might fit within the innovator model.
[Click here to access the Individual Innovator Questionnaire]
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