Innovation - a theorical approach regarding adoption and diffusion

Résumé du document

Innovation is a concept widely studied in scientific literature. However, it seems that a lot of work can still be doing about it. This is not a new concept, but it is still very difficult to define, because all the studies have different opinion on this subject. Innovation is a very simple word, but a very complex concept, it refers to many interrogations difficult to answer such as: What is innovation? Is it a process or an event? Who are the innovators ? What's the use of innovation ? and Innovation, what for ? Scientific literature widely speaks about all that questions, but many studies disagree on most of them, that is why it is not easy to answer those questions. However, answering those questions is necessary if someone wants to study this concept. That is why in this paper we will try to give a clear answer to all that questions. However, all the answer here must be considered by the reader as opinion and not as true, indeed as we already says, this concept has not a unique definition. The reader, if unsatisfied by the definition given here can report itself to the bibliography and try to find a definition that suit more to him.

Extraits

[...] The end of cold war definitely installed capitalism in the whole world. Capitalism is a very requiring system, where growth and profit are the two only things a manager has to reach. But capitalism is also the system of free competency. This free competency, associated with growth and profit demand for the companies to be always mutating, looking for something better to do, looking for innovate. Indeed, as Schumpeter said, at the beginning of the XXst century, one of innovation's objectives seems to be making profit. [...]

[...] Specialization, size, internal organization, external organization, are part of organizational variables, and manager's work-time, education and involvement in the company are part of individual variables. Thus, those variables can help a manager to foresee if the innovation he wants to implement is going to be adopted or not. A study of the three levels of the company allows anticipating innovation adoption result. Adoption of innovation is very linked to diffusion process of innovation. Indeed, an innovation can be adopted only if one can use efficient channels of communication to diffuse innovation. Adoption and diffusion are frequently seen as different process. [...]

[...] F. (1985), Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Harper and Row, New York Daft, R.L dual-core model of organizational innovation", Academy Of Management Journal 193-211. Porter, M.E Competitive Strategy: Techniques For Analyzing Industries And Competitors, The Free Press, New York, NY. Rogers, E.M Diffusion of Innovations, 3rd ed, The Free Press, New York, NY Kimberly, J.R., Evanisko, M.J "Organizational innovation: the influence of individual, organizational, and contextual factors on hospital adoption of technological and administrative innovation", Academy of Management Journal 689-713. [...]

[...] That is why the adoption process is totally different. In order to optimize the implementation of an administrative innovation, it is very important to avoid unilateral decision and to involve every person which is going to be concern by the new innovation in the company. Communication and thus diffusion are key principles for a good adoption of administrative innovation. We will see that point while studying innovation diffusion. III.5 Adoption innovations variables As we just said, innovation adoption depends on several factors. [...]

[...] This dimension of innovation service appeared with the transformation of the industrial society in a service society. Indeed, today most of companies are services companies, while in the 50's, the market was essentially product oriented. We think that this new dimension of innovation will be more and more important in the XX1st century. Porter says that innovation involves more than science and technology, it involves discerning and meeting the needs of the customers. To Porter the customer is the key component of innovation. [...]