The Rate Of Adoption
The rate of adoption is defined as the relative speed with which members of a social system adopt an innovation. It is usually measured by the length of time required for a certain percentage of the members of a social system to adopt an innovation. Within the rate of adoption there is a point at which an innovation reaches critical mass. Critical mass is the time in the adoption curve when enough individuals have adopted an innovation so that the continued adoption of the innovation is self-sustaining. Everett Rogers outlines several strategies to help an innovation reach this stage:
Diffusion of Innovation
This graph depicts the innovation curve and the tipping point, or critical mass.
- Have an innovation adopted by a highly respected individual within a social network, creating an instinctive desire for a specific innovation.
- Inject an innovation into a group of individuals who would readily use an innovation.
- Provide positive reactions and benefits for early adopters of an innovation.
The adoption process is an individual phenomenon describing the series of stages an individual undergoes from first hearing about a product to finally adopting it. On the other hand, the diffusion process signifies a group of phenomena, which suggests how an innovation spreads among consumers. Overall, the diffusion process essentially encompasses the adoption process of several individuals over time.
Five Adoption Factors
Rogers defines several intrinsic characteristics of innovations that influence an individual's decision to adopt or reject an innovation:
- Relative Advantage: How improved an innovation is over the previous generation.
- Compatibility: The level of compatibility that an innovation has to be assimilated into an individual's life.
- Complexity or Simplicity: If the innovation is perceived as complicated or difficult to use, an individual is unlikely to adopt it.
- Trialability: How easily an innovation may be experimented. If a user is able to test an innovation, the individual will be more likely to adopt it.
- Observability: The extent that an innovation is visible to others. An innovation that is more visible will drive communication among the individual's peers and personal networks, and will in turn, create more positive or negative reactions.