A Review and Critique of Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation Theory as it Applies to Organizations

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Abstract

A topic of interest to many organizational researchers and practitioners is the understanding of how new ideas, processes, and products diffuse and spread within and across organizations. Rogers' research and theory on the diffusion of innovations addresses this topic, and is the subject of review and critique for this paper. The four primary elements of Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory are described, with a special emphasis on how the theory applies within and across organizations. As a result of the critique of the theory, three key themes emerge.

Introduction

A topic of interest to many organizational researchers and practitioners is the understanding of how new ideas, processes, and products diffuse and spread within and across organizations. A common problem observed in the practice of organization development and performance improvement is the lack of spread or diffusion of these types of changes, or innovations. Often, an innovation or improvement is made, but that change is not adopted by other parts of the organization, nor in other organizations, for which there would be benefit. The lack of innovation diffusion in organizations is a problem and is the basis for this article.

The intent of this article is to describe Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory, review and critique the theory specifically as it applies to organizations, and to discuss implications for those interested in further understanding the diffusion of innovation within and across organizations. The article is primarily intended for those in fields whose work engages in organizational improvement but whose theoretical base has not traditionally included diffusion of innovation theory, including human resource development, organization development, public health and health care, education, and information technology.

Definitions

It is helpful to begin the discussion with a review of definitions to be used throughout the paper, since there are varying interpretations and usages associated with the terms innovation, diffusion, and adoption by different researchers and practitioners, for example, by Rogers (1995), Kanter (1983), and Van de Ven (1989).

This article does not focus on the creation of new ideas and innovations (i.e., invention), but rather on how these innovations, or new ideas, are spread to organizations and within organizations (not between individuals). This is not to say that individuals do not play an important role in diffusion...