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1. Elements of diffusion : What is diffusion?
Four main elements in the diffusion of innovation : The innovation ; Communication channels ; Time ; A social system
2. History of diffusion research : The beginnings of diffusion research in Europe : Gabriel Trade and imitation ; Georg Simmel's stranger ; The British and German-Austrian diffusionists
The rise of diffusion research traditions : Paradigms and invisible colleges ; The anthropology research tradition ; Early sociology ; Rural sociology ; Public health and medical sociology ; Communication ; Marketing ; Geography ; General sociology ; Trends by diffusion research traditions
A typology of diffusion research
3. Contributions and criticisms of diffusion research : The status of diffusion research today
Criticisms of diffusion research : The pro-innovation bias of diffusion research ; The individual-blame bias in diffusion research ; The recall problem in diffusion research ; The issue of equality in the diffusion of innovations
4. Generation of innovations : The innovation-development process : Recognizing a problem or need ; Basic and applied research ; Development ; Commercialization ; Diffusion and adoption ; Consequences
Socioeconomic status, equality, and innovation development
Tracing the innovation-development process : The shortcomings of tracer studies ; Future research on the innovation-development process
The agricultural model
5. Innovation-decision process : A model of the innovation-decision process
The knowledge stage : Which comes first, needs or awareness of an innovation? ; Three types of knowledge about an innovation ; Early versus late knowers of innovations
The persuasion stage
The decision stage
The implementation stage : Re-invention ; How much re-invention occurs? ; Re-invention is not necessarily bad ; Why does re-invention occur?
The confirmation stage : Dissonance ; Discontinuance
Are there stages in the innovation-decision process? : Process versus variance research ; Evidence of stages ; The hierarchy-of-effects ; Stages of change
Communication channels by stages in the innovation-decision process ; Categorizing communication channels : Mass media versus interpersonal channels ; Cosmopolite versus localite channels ; The Bass forecasting model
Communication channels by adopter categories
The innovation-decision period : The rate of awareness-knowledge and rate of adoption ; The length of the innovation-decision period by adopter category 00 How the internet is changing the innovation-decision process.
6. Attributes of innovations and their rate of adoption : Rate of adoption
Research on the attributes of innovations : Measuring the attributes of innovations ; Organizations as the units of adoption ; Postdiction versus prediction
Relative advantage : Economic factors and rate of adoption ; Status aspects of innovations ; Overadoption ; Relative advantage and rate of adoption ; Preventive innovations ; The effects of incentives ; Mandates for adoption
Compatibility : Compatibility with values and beliefs ; Compatibility with previously introduced ideas ; Compatibility with needs ; Compatibility and rate of adoption ; Technology clusters ; Naming an innovation ; Positioning an innovation ; Acceptability research
Indigenous knowledge systems
Complexity
Trialibility
Observability
7. Innovativeness and adopter categories : Classifying adopter categories on the bases of innovativeness ; The s-shaped curve of adoption and normality ; Measuring organizational innovativeness ; Who adopts? ; Adopter categorization
Adopter categories as ideal types : Innovators: venturesome ; Early adopters: respect ; Early majority: deliberate ; Late majority: skeptical ; Laggards: traditional
Characteristics of adopter categories : Socioeconomic characteristics ; Personality variables ; Communication behavior ; Audience segmentation and adopter categories ; The innovativeness/needs paradox and the strategy of least resistance ; Network influences on innovativeness
8. Diffusion networks : Models of communication flows : The hypodermic needle model ; The two-step flow model
Homophily and heterophily in communication networks : Homophily and heterophily ; Homophily as a barrier to diffusion
Measuring opinion leadership and network links
Monomorphic and polymorphic opinion leadership
Characteristics of opinion leaders : External communication ; Accessibility ; Socioeconomic status ; Innovativeness ; Innovativeness, opinion leadership, and system norms ; Do opinion leaders matter?
Diffusion networks : Cluster studies
Communication network analysis ; The strength-of-weak-ties theory ; Who is linked to whom in networks? ; Social learning theory
The critical mass in the diffusion of interactive innovations : The concept of critical mass ; Watching while being watched ; Individual Thresholds for adoption ; Why do individuals adopt prior to the critical mass? ; Networks and the turbocharger effect ; Strategies for getting to the critical mass
9. The change agent : Targeting
Change agents as linkers : The sequence of change agent roles
Factors in change agent success : Change agent efforts ; Client orientation ; Compatibility with clients' needs ; Change agent empathy
Communication campaigns
Homophily and change agent contact : Change agents' contact with lower-status clients ; Para-professional aides ; Change agent credibility ; Inauthentic professionalization of aides
The use of opinion leaders : The role of demonstrations
Clients' evaluative ability
Centralized and decentralized diffusion systems : Advantages and disadvantages of decentralized diffusion
10. Innovation in organizations : Types of innovation-decisions
Organizations : Virtual organizations
Organizational innovativeness : Size and organizational innovativeness ; Structural characteristics and organizational innovativeness ; The role of champions
The innovation process in organizations
Stages in the innovation process : Agenda-setting ; Matching ; Redefining/restructuring ; Clarifying ; Routinizing
New communication technologies in organizations
11. Consequences of innovations: Studying consequences
Classifications of consequences : Desirable versus undesirable consequences ; Direct versus indirect consequences ; Anticipated versus unanticipated consequences
Form, function, and meaning of an innovation
Achieving a dynamic equilibrium
Equality in the consequences of innovations : The communication effects gap
Gap-widening consequences of the diffusion of innovations ; Social structure and the equality of consequences ; Strategies for narrowing gaps ; Wider gaps are not inevitable.
Four main elements in the diffusion of innovation : The innovation ; Communication channels ; Time ; A social system
2. History of diffusion research : The beginnings of diffusion research in Europe : Gabriel Trade and imitation ; Georg Simmel's stranger ; The British and German-Austrian diffusionists
The rise of diffusion research traditions : Paradigms and invisible colleges ; The anthropology research tradition ; Early sociology ; Rural sociology ; Public health and medical sociology ; Communication ; Marketing ; Geography ; General sociology ; Trends by diffusion research traditions
A typology of diffusion research
3. Contributions and criticisms of diffusion research : The status of diffusion research today
Criticisms of diffusion research : The pro-innovation bias of diffusion research ; The individual-blame bias in diffusion research ; The recall problem in diffusion research ; The issue of equality in the diffusion of innovations
4. Generation of innovations : The innovation-development process : Recognizing a problem or need ; Basic and applied research ; Development ; Commercialization ; Diffusion and adoption ; Consequences
Socioeconomic status, equality, and innovation development
Tracing the innovation-development process : The shortcomings of tracer studies ; Future research on the innovation-development process
The agricultural model
5. Innovation-decision process : A model of the innovation-decision process
The knowledge stage : Which comes first, needs or awareness of an innovation? ; Three types of knowledge about an innovation ; Early versus late knowers of innovations
The persuasion stage
The decision stage
The implementation stage : Re-invention ; How much re-invention occurs? ; Re-invention is not necessarily bad ; Why does re-invention occur?
The confirmation stage : Dissonance ; Discontinuance
Are there stages in the innovation-decision process? : Process versus variance research ; Evidence of stages ; The hierarchy-of-effects ; Stages of change
Communication channels by stages in the innovation-decision process ; Categorizing communication channels : Mass media versus interpersonal channels ; Cosmopolite versus localite channels ; The Bass forecasting model
Communication channels by adopter categories
The innovation-decision period : The rate of awareness-knowledge and rate of adoption ; The length of the innovation-decision period by adopter category 00 How the internet is changing the innovation-decision process.
6. Attributes of innovations and their rate of adoption : Rate of adoption
Research on the attributes of innovations : Measuring the attributes of innovations ; Organizations as the units of adoption ; Postdiction versus prediction
Relative advantage : Economic factors and rate of adoption ; Status aspects of innovations ; Overadoption ; Relative advantage and rate of adoption ; Preventive innovations ; The effects of incentives ; Mandates for adoption
Compatibility : Compatibility with values and beliefs ; Compatibility with previously introduced ideas ; Compatibility with needs ; Compatibility and rate of adoption ; Technology clusters ; Naming an innovation ; Positioning an innovation ; Acceptability research
Indigenous knowledge systems
Complexity
Trialibility
Observability
7. Innovativeness and adopter categories : Classifying adopter categories on the bases of innovativeness ; The s-shaped curve of adoption and normality ; Measuring organizational innovativeness ; Who adopts? ; Adopter categorization
Adopter categories as ideal types : Innovators: venturesome ; Early adopters: respect ; Early majority: deliberate ; Late majority: skeptical ; Laggards: traditional
Characteristics of adopter categories : Socioeconomic characteristics ; Personality variables ; Communication behavior ; Audience segmentation and adopter categories ; The innovativeness/needs paradox and the strategy of least resistance ; Network influences on innovativeness
8. Diffusion networks : Models of communication flows : The hypodermic needle model ; The two-step flow model
Homophily and heterophily in communication networks : Homophily and heterophily ; Homophily as a barrier to diffusion
Measuring opinion leadership and network links
Monomorphic and polymorphic opinion leadership
Characteristics of opinion leaders : External communication ; Accessibility ; Socioeconomic status ; Innovativeness ; Innovativeness, opinion leadership, and system norms ; Do opinion leaders matter?
Diffusion networks : Cluster studies
Communication network analysis ; The strength-of-weak-ties theory ; Who is linked to whom in networks? ; Social learning theory
The critical mass in the diffusion of interactive innovations : The concept of critical mass ; Watching while being watched ; Individual Thresholds for adoption ; Why do individuals adopt prior to the critical mass? ; Networks and the turbocharger effect ; Strategies for getting to the critical mass
9. The change agent : Targeting
Change agents as linkers : The sequence of change agent roles
Factors in change agent success : Change agent efforts ; Client orientation ; Compatibility with clients' needs ; Change agent empathy
Communication campaigns
Homophily and change agent contact : Change agents' contact with lower-status clients ; Para-professional aides ; Change agent credibility ; Inauthentic professionalization of aides
The use of opinion leaders : The role of demonstrations
Clients' evaluative ability
Centralized and decentralized diffusion systems : Advantages and disadvantages of decentralized diffusion
10. Innovation in organizations : Types of innovation-decisions
Organizations : Virtual organizations
Organizational innovativeness : Size and organizational innovativeness ; Structural characteristics and organizational innovativeness ; The role of champions
The innovation process in organizations
Stages in the innovation process : Agenda-setting ; Matching ; Redefining/restructuring ; Clarifying ; Routinizing
New communication technologies in organizations
11. Consequences of innovations: Studying consequences
Classifications of consequences : Desirable versus undesirable consequences ; Direct versus indirect consequences ; Anticipated versus unanticipated consequences
Form, function, and meaning of an innovation
Achieving a dynamic equilibrium
Equality in the consequences of innovations : The communication effects gap
Gap-widening consequences of the diffusion of innovations ; Social structure and the equality of consequences ; Strategies for narrowing gaps ; Wider gaps are not inevitable.