Aligning the Rogers Diffusion of Innovation Model to Government Emergency Management Contexts: The Need for Consumer–Producer Cooperative Adaptation

Abstract

The Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) model is a well-established framework for evaluating the adoption of innovation. It has substantive descriptive and some predictive power. However, there are innovation adoption contexts that consistently lead to rejection. Applying DOI to these cases may not effectively assist practitioners with strategies to increase adoption. Adding the adaptation of innovations explicitly to the model may lead to the formulation of effective strategies for increased adoption, as DOI does not expressly include adaptation currently.

The context of governmental emergency response agencies adopting innovations is complex. The potential for significant adverse outcomes and the uncertain probability of success lead to a perceived high risk. This often results in the rejection of potentially effective innovations. However, innovative agencies frequently engage in adaptation through both planned postadoption processes and collaboration with suppliers to refine the innovation.

This conceptual research proposes an update to Rogers’ 2003 DOI model to incorporate adaptation. It applies some of the principles specified in the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), often used to increase the implementation of innovative health interventions to guide future research on the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed modification to the DOI model. This includes adaptation as an ongoing process throughout the last four stages of the model. This update to include adaptation also formalizes the implicit feedback loop currently described by continuation, later adoption, or discontinuance transforming it from a recursive, dynamic, and bi-directional process into a more iterative one.