If there is a single point in the value chain where learning technologists really struggle, it is at the point of figuring out how to get innovations adopted into enterprise practice. Just about every person I have ever talked to in this space can give me chapter and verse on why it is critical for learning enterprises to adopt new ideas, practices and emerging technologies. But many of these same innovators are frequently relentless in their disdain for executives who live in line-of-business operations who are not willing to jump the shark and broadly adopt new ways of doing work without having a clearly articulated reason for doing so - usually with numbers attached. Similarly, the line-of-business execs I know don't have a lot of time for listening to all the great new things they should be trying in their businesses UNLESS there is a damn good reason for doing so - as in selling more product, hitting annual milestones, reducing employee churn, that kind of thing.
Sage Road Solutions (the company I work for), does a lot of its business in this grey and murky space working with innovators (and those who want to sell and market said technology innovations) and mainstream adopters ("the enterprise"). As a result, I find that a lot of the background research I do while constructing data models and forecasts is firmly rooted in the literature related to diffusions of innovation.
This past weekend I found a number of sources that presented points of view that will be helpful for ANYONE who is trying to figure out how to get a C-level executive to pay attention to activities going on out on the far left edge of the distribution.
First, a simple overview - Wikipedia's description of the Diffusion of Innovation literature and practices. Anybody trying to get someone to adopt a new ideas needs to understand that there is a pretty well documented process that all enterprises go through on the way to adopting new innovations.
12Manage's executive Fast Track on Rogers Diffusion of Innovation offers a more detailed look at the literature and practices from the perspective of a biz executive who needs to do something with this information
I found an article by Tom Grant from Forrester Research called Beyond Innovation: Adding Adoption to your Business Objectives. While it's true that most Forrester Research is for subscribers only, I have found that the executive summaries still provide enough pearls that one can use these for helping to substantiate a particular point of view.
I was a little suspicious of the Bergland Center Summer Institute when I saw the subtitle for their posted workshop resources: "Examining the Ed. Tech. Metamorphosis: Emerging Butterfly or Deleterious Root Worm". But the more I read the more the more I found useful descriptions of ideas for moving from being excited about new ideas and innovation to figuring out how to adopt them, deleterious root worm notwithstanding.
Speaking of education innovation diffusion, this article by Rob Abel from the IMS Global Learning Consortium on Innovation, Adoption, and Learning Impact: Creating the Future of IT recently appeared in the EDUCAUSE Review.
V. H. Carr, Jr's detailed description on the history of theories shaping Technology Adoption and Diffusion was pretty interesting. But what was even more interesting was the reference that appeared at the top of the page. When I clicked, I was astounded to find myself on the page for references from the Future of Warfare program for the Air University Center for Strategy and Technology. Rogers, Fenn and the Gartner Hype Cycle, SixSigma, Lean and all the big biz theories. But the best was yet to come.
If you scroll to the top of the page you will find that this page of references and links takes of innovation and adoption and drops it right into the middle of one of the most strategic conversations we are likely to find: the future of warfare. Check out Innovation Diffusion Adoption Models Air University Center for Strategy and Technology, Future Warfare Studies.
If you subscribes to the belief that success in business depends upon strategic thinking and campaigns similar to what military engagements must undertake this list is going to be a gold mine for you.
Happy reading.
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