Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) Theory, developed
by E.M. Rogers in 1962, is one of the oldest social science theories. It
originated in communication to explain how, over time, an idea or product gains
momentum and diffuses (or spreads) through a specific population or social
system. The end result of this diffusion is that people, as part of a social
system, adopt a new idea, behavior, or product. Adoption means that a
person does something differently than what they had previously (i.e., purchase
or use a new product, acquire and perform a new behavior, etc.). The key to
adoption is that the person must perceive the idea, behavior, or product as new
or innovative. It is through this that diffusion is possible.
Adoption of a new idea, behavior, or product
(i.e., "innovation") does not happen simultaneously in a social
system; rather it is a process whereby some people are more apt to adopt the
innovation than others. Researchers have found that people who adopt an
innovation early have different characteristics than people who adopt an
innovation later. When promoting an innovation to a target population, it is
important to understand the characteristics of the target population that will
help or hinder adoption of the innovation. There are five established
adopter categories, and while the majority of the general population tends
to fall in the middle categories, it is still necessary to understand the
characteristics of the target population. When promoting an innovation, there
are different strategies used to appeal to the different adopter categories.
- Innovators - These are people who want to be the first
to try the innovation. They are venturesome and interested in new ideas.
These people are very willing to take risks, and are often the first to
develop new ideas. Very little, if anything, needs to be done to appeal to
this population.
- Early Adopters - These are people who represent opinion
leaders. They enjoy leadership roles, and embrace change opportunities.
They are already aware of the need to change and so are very comfortable
adopting new ideas. Strategies to appeal to this population include how-to
manuals and information sheets on implementation. They do not need
information to convince them to change.
- Early Majority - These people are rarely leaders, but
they do adopt new ideas before the average person. That said, they
typically need to see evidence that the innovation works before they are
willing to adopt it. Strategies to appeal to this population include
success stories and evidence of the innovation's effectiveness.
- Late Majority - These people are skeptical of change,
and will only adopt an innovation after it has been tried by the majority.
Strategies to appeal to this population include information on how many
other people have tried the innovation and have adopted it successfully.
- Laggards - These people are bound by tradition and very
conservative. They are very skeptical of change and are the hardest group
to bring on board. Strategies to appeal to this population include
statistics, fear appeals, and pressure from people in the other adopter
groups.
The stages by which a person adopts an
innovation, and whereby diffusion is accomplished, include awareness of
the need for an innovation, decision to adopt (or reject) the innovation, initial
use of the innovation to test it, and continued use of the
innovation. There are five main factors that influence adoption of an
innovation, and each of these factors is at play to a different extent in
the five adopter categories.
- Relative Advantage - The degree to which an innovation
is seen as better than the idea, program, or product it replaces.
- Compatibility - How consistent the innovation is with
the values, experiences, and needs of the potential adopters.
- Complexity - How difficult the innovation is to
understand and/or use.
- Triability - The extent to which the innovation can be
tested or experimented with before a commitment to adopt is made.
- Observability - The extent to which the innovation
provides tangible results.
There are several limitations of Diffusion of
Innovation Theory, which include the following:
- Much of the evidence for this theory, including the
adopter categories, did not originate in public health and it was not
developed to explicitly apply to adoption of new behaviors or health
innovations.
- It does not foster a participatory approach to adoption
of a public health program.
- It works better with adoption of behaviors rather than
cessation or prevention of behaviors.
- It doesn't take into account an individual's resources
or social support to adopt the new behavior (or innovation).
This theory has been used successfully in many
fields including communication, agriculture, public health, criminal justice,
social work, and marketing. In public health, Diffusion of Innovation Theory is
used to accelerate the adoption of important public health programs that
typically aim to change the behavior of a social system. For example, an
intervention to address a public health problem is developed, and the
intervention is promoted to people in a social system with the goal of adoption
(based on Diffusion of Innovation Theory). The most successful adoption of a
public health program results from understanding the target population and the
factors influencing their rate of adoption.
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