Looking Beyond the Adoption Decision in Innovation Research
Author: Vandana T. Vaidyanathan
Publisher:
Published: 2004
Total Pages:
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKAbstract: Researchers have long been calling for an increased focus on a process-oriented approach to understanding the implementation of innovations. This research builds upon a framework of implementation originally proposed by Klein and Sorra in 1996, and empirically tests an enhanced model of antecedents and consequences of innovation implementation. Specifically, climate for implementation, compatibility, and project slack were hypothesized to be related to implementation effectiveness. Implementation effectiveness was hypothesized to be related to innovation effectiveness, or the consequences to the organization. Reinvention (the degree to which the innovation has been modified) was expected to moderate this relationship. The perceived need to maintain fidelity to the original innovation was expected to moderate the relationship between extent of reinvention and innovation effectiveness. The data for this study consists of data gathered from key informants in fifty mental health agencies in Ohio using surveys and interviews. Climate for implementation, compatibility, and project slack were each significantly related to implementation effectiveness. Interestingly, climate for implementation explained the most variance in implementation effectiveness. Implementation effectiveness was related to innovation effectiveness, but this relationship was not moderated by extent of reinvention. Reinvention was negatively related to innovation effectiveness, and this relationship was moderated by the perceived need to maintain fidelity to the original innovation model. Overall, implementation effectiveness mediated the effect of compatibility and project slack, respectively, on innovation effectiveness. Implementation effectiveness, however, did not mediate the influence of Climate for implementation on innovation effectiveness. This research makes a number of contributions to the innovation literature. Implications for theory development and application are discussed.