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Thursday, November 20, 2008

E-Learning Adoption in Organizations 3: Stages of Diffusion

According to Everett M. Rogers, people’s attitude toward a new technology is a key element in its diffusion. Roger’s Innovation Decision Process theory asserts that innovation diffusion is a process that occurs over time through five stages:

  1. Awareness
  2. Interest
  3. Evaluation
  4. Trial
  5. Adoption

Awareness
At this first phase in the diffusion process, individuals or organizations become aware of a new idea or technology, but lack detail about it. For example, they may be aware of it's name (i.e. e-learning) or the underlying technology (Web-based content delivery), but not know how how this manifests itself, or how it works.

Interest
At this point, the individuals or organizations want to know more about the concept or technology: what it is, how it works and it's potential. This can be understood to be the "WIIFM" ("what's in in for me?) stage, as the potential user investigates how it may enhance productivity and performance, or revenue generation, for example.

Evaluation
The next cognitive process concerns assessment; the individual or organization mentally "tries out" the idea or technology. The information attained in the previous is applied to their particular circumstances.

Trial
If the diffusion is deemed to have some potential, the individual or organization will try it out. Typically, this is a small-scale pilot implementation which provides specific information about how the solution aligns with the individual's or organization's requirements. According to Bohlen and Beal (1957),

...individuals need to test a new idea even though they have thought about it for a long time and they have gathered information concerning it.

(p.2)

Adoption
The final stage in the cognitive path is adoption. The phase is characterized by large-scale continued use of the idea or technology, and by "satisfaction with" (p.2) the idea. This does not mean that the the individual or organization that has accepted the idea will use it constantly, rather, it means that the diffused idea has been integrated into their schema or metal model as a valuable asset or resource.

Individuals or organizations will typically go through these processes at varying speeds, depending on factors ranging from the cost, time, and effort required to implement the diffused concept, the return on the investment, how well it aligns with their previous experience with similar concepts, as well as the complexity of the idea or technology under consideration.

More...
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References:

Bohlen, J. M., Beal, G. M. (1957) The Diffusion Process, Special Report No. 18 (Agriculture Extension Service, Iowa State College) 1: 56-77. [Internet] Available from: http://www.soc.iastate.edu/extension/presentations/publications/comm/Diffusion%20Process.pdf [Accessed 3rd November 2008]

Rogers, E. M. (2003) Diffusion of Innovations, 5th ed.. Simon & Schuster International.

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