The Dissemination of Innovation

The main idea of this chapter is to discuss the procedure, the purpose and the time it takes for new ideas to be adopted and implemented. There are four fundamentals of dispersal, forms of innovations and problems associated with inventions.

            For dispersal of innovation to take place it is necessary that an invention exists. An invention is an opinion, activity or thing that is believed to be novice by people or subjects that are going to experience its adoption (Rogers 11). An invention can be considered as new if it is of higher benefit as compared to its existing form. The newness is also dependent on the perception of the innovation for being compliant with values and norms. In order to disperse an invention communication is very important. Communication is important because inventions are implemented in organizations and these institutes contain people who need to adopt the innovation (Rogers 18). Various communication channels can be used to spread information about innovations. These channels can be direct or indirect in nature such as in-person communication. If communication does not exist then it is almost impossible to disperse any invention. While communicating inventions, it is necessary to take into consideration the relationship between communicator and receiver of information. Time is a key element in the implementation of an invention. Time is concerned with the amount of time it takes for adopters to learn about the intervention and the time they take to accept or reject it. Once an innovation is accepted, time plays a key factor in its implementation. The speed at which an invention is implemented can be a key factor in success or failure of the implementation (Rogers 22). Innovation should be and is usually accepted and adopted over a longer period of time. The social system is a key stakeholder in the diffusion of inventions. The system or the structure in which the innovation is being diffused can hinder or be helpful in the diffusion. For example in an organization there may be a culture of following opinion leaders. This opinion leader can be of immense help to mold people’s attitudes and behavior towards innovations (Rogers 27).  

            Different forms of decisions take place at the time of circulation of innovation. These include the decisions made by independent members of the organization regarding whether to accept or reject the invention irrelative of the decisions of other members. Decision of accepting and/or rejecting the innovation by a small authoritative group rather than the majority (Rogers 29). Decision of accepting and adopting decision made as per the situations. Some situations may require immediate adoption of the innovation while certain decisions made may be based on a few meetings or discussion sessions regarding the invention. Therefore, decisions are situation, time, context and people bound.

            Spreading of innovation can be highly beneficial but there are certain disadvantages also associated with them. Innovations can impact the people involved within the system in a negative manner. For example in water boiling case the innovation lead to creation of disturbance amongst the members as it was not culturally accepted or against the beliefs of the people who were the part of the system (Rogers 3). The negative impacts can be experienced in a direct as well as an indirect manner by the people involved. Furthermore, the benefits and costs of innovation can be predictable and unpredictable. For example in the study of implementing technological way of producing corns, as it was expected, the innovation led to increased productivity.

Works Cited

Rogers, Everett M. Diffusion of Innovations, 4th Edition. Place of publication not identified: Free Press, 2010. Internet resource.