Technology Innovation Adoption Theories

Introduction

Innovation is a significant business challenge (Hamel 2002), it is seen as increasingly essential for growth and viability (Tidd 2001) yet is a challenge for companies to know what is necessary for successful innovation (Christensen 2003).

An innovation adoption is ‘the generation, development, and adaptation of novel ideas on the part of the firm’ (Damanpour 1991; Higgins 1995), either as an anticipatory act to control the environment, or as a response to the environment. It can completely change the nature of an organization (Damanpour 1996) and from an IS perspective can involve new practice or operational idea (Annukka 2008; Lind & Zmud 1991). IT can affect firm productivity (Caldeira & Ward 2003; Oliveira & Martins 2011) and new technologies are developing constantly (Wang et al. 2011; Shiels, 2003; Alam & Noor, 2009).

This chapter explores theories of industrial innovation and the diffusion of innovation literature:

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  Theories of Industrial Innovation: This includes innovations, fresh thoughts and artefacts, plans, behaviour, or impacts of artefacts that are fresh for the industry or the public (Abernathy & Clark 1985; Christensen 1992a, 1992b).

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  The Diffusion of Innovation Literature: This area of research is focused on applied diffusion of innovation theory (Rogers 1990) including the reasons and progressions that can reveal the results of adoption (Fichman 1992; Lyytinen & Damsgaard 2001; Prescott & Conger 1995).

Categorization of the point of innovation can be done into two classes. Firstly, service alterations in the method of manufacturing and distributing products while secondly as new things (products and services) themselves (Johne 1999). Systematization, dealings, administration technique and business models can be types of innovation (Slappendel 1996; Paap & Katz 2004). These different types of innovation relate primarily to process innovation. Innovation can be distinguished by aggregation level. Innovation can take place at many different levels such as an individual level (improvement), at functional level (process improvement or adaptation), at company level as an entire value chain (product and service innovation, new business models), and at industry level (technology breakthroughs) as systems of innovation (Edquist 1997).

The adoption and implementation of new innovations is explored in the study of the diffusion of innovations (Rogers 2003) which draws on sociology and psychology (AlQaisi 2009). Challenges are associated with the implementation of new technologies as reflected in IT/IS innovation adoption studies (Jeyaraj et al. 2006; Korpelainen 2011).