Understanding the early stages of the innovation diffusion process: awareness, influence and communication networks

The themes of awareness and influence within the innovation diffusion process are addressed. The innovation diffusion process is typically represented as stages, yet awareness and influence are somewhat under-represented in the literature. Awareness and influence are situated within the contextual setting of individual actors but also within the broader institutional forces. Understanding how actors become aware of an innovation and then how their opinion is influenced is important for creating a more innovation-active UK construction sector. Social network analysis is proposed as one technique for mapping how awareness and influence occur and what they look like as a network. Empirical data are gathered using two modes of enquiry. This is done through a pilot study consisting of chartered professionals and then through a case study organization as it attempted to diffuse an innovation. The analysis demonstrates significant variations across actors’ awareness and influence networks. It is argued that social network analysis can complement other research methods in order to present a richer picture of how actors become aware of innovations and where they draw their influences regarding adopting innovations. In summarizing the findings, a framework for understanding awareness and influence associated with innovation within the UK construction sector is presented. Finally, with the UK construction sector continually being encouraged to be innovative, understanding and managing an actor’s awareness and influence network will be beneficial. The overarching conclusion thus describes the need not only to build research capacity in this area but also to push the boundaries related to the research methods employed.

Success and failure of grassroots innovations for addressing climate change: the case of the Transition Movement

Grassroots innovations emerge as networks generating innovative solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation. However, it is unclear if grassroots innovations can be successful in responding to climate change. Little evidence exists on replication, international comparisons are rare, and research tends to overlook discontinued responses in favour of successful ones. We take the Transition Movement as a case study of a rapidly spreading transnational grassroots network, and include both active and non-active local transition initiatives. We investigate the replication of grassroots innovations in different contexts with the aim to uncover general patterns of success and failure, and identify questions for future research. An online survey was carried out in 23 countries (N=276). The data analysis entailed testing the effect of internal and contextual factors of success as drawn from the existing literature, and the identification of clusters of transition initiatives with similar internal and contextual factor configurations. Most transition initiatives consider themselves successful. Success is defined along the lines of social connectivity and empowerment, and external environmental impact. We find that less successful transition initiatives might underestimate the importance of contextual factors and material resources in influencing success. We also find that their diffusion is linked to the combination of local-global learning processes, and that there is an incubation period during which a transition initiative is consolidated. Transition initiatives seem capable of generalising organisational principles derived from unique local experiences that seem to be effective in other local contexts. However, the geographical locations matter with regard to where transition initiatives take root and the extent of their success, and ‘place attachment’ may have a role in the diffusion of successful initatives. We suggest that longitudinal comparative studies can advance our understanding in this regard, as well as inform the changing nature of the definition of success at different stages of grassroots innovation development, and the dynamic nature of local and global linkages.

A multi-level analysis of innovation diffusion: The case of solar photovoltaic systems in Germany and the disillusion of grid parity

¿Suministrarán las fuentes de energía renovables toda la energía que el mundo necesita algún día? Algunos argumentan que sí, mientras que otros dicen que no. Sin embargo, en algunas regiones del mundo, la producción de electricidad a través de fuentes de energía renovables ya está en una etapa prometedora de desarrollo en la que su costo de generación de electricidad compite con fuentes de electricidad convencionales, como por ejemplo la paridad de red. Este logro ha sido respaldado por el aumento de la eficiencia de la tecnología, la reducción de los costos de producción y, sobre todo, los años de intervenciones políticas de apoyo financiero. La difusión de los sistemas solares fotovoltaicos (PV) en Alemania es un ejemplo relevante. Alemania no sólo es el país líder en términos de capacidad instalada de sistemas fotovoltaicos (PV) en todo el mundo, sino también uno de los países pioneros donde la paridad de red se ha logrado recientemente. No obstante, podría haber una nube en el horizonte. La tasa de difusión ha comenzado a declinar en muchas regiones. Además, las empresas solares locales – que se sabe son importantes impulsores de la difusión – han comenzado a enfrentar dificultades para manejar sus negocios. Estos acontecimientos plantean algunas preguntas importantes: ¿Es ésta una disminución temporal en la difusión? ¿Los adoptantes continuarán instalando sistemas fotovoltaicos? ¿Qué pasa con los modelos de negocio de las empresas solares locales? Con base en el caso de los sistemas fotovoltaicos en Alemania a través de un análisis multinivel y dos revisiones literarias complementarias, esta tesis doctoral extiende el debate proporcionando riqueza múltiple de datos empíricos en un conocimiento de contexto limitado. El primer análisis se basa en la perspectiva del adoptante, que explora el nivel "micro" y el proceso social que subyace a la adopción de los sistemas fotovoltaicos. El segundo análisis es una perspectiva a nivel de empresa, que explora los modelos de negocio de las empresas y sus roles impulsores en la difusión de los sistemas fotovoltaicos. El tercero análisis es una perspectiva regional, la cual explora el nivel "meso", el proceso social que subyace a la adopción de sistemas fotovoltaicos y sus técnicas de modelado. Los resultados incluyen implicaciones tanto para académicos como políticos, no sólo sobre las innovaciones en energía renovable relativas a la paridad de red, sino también, de manera inductiva, sobre las innovaciones ambientales impulsadas por las políticas que logren la competitividad de costes. ABSTRACT Will renewable energy sources supply all of the world energy needs one day? Some argue yes, while others say no. However, in some regions of the world, the electricity production through renewable energy sources is already at a promising stage of development at which their electricity generation costs compete with conventional electricity sources’, i.e., grid parity. This achievement has been underpinned by the increase of technology efficiency, reduction of production costs and, above all, years of policy interventions of providing financial support. The diffusion of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in Germany is an important frontrunner case in point. Germany is not only the top country in terms of installed PV systems’ capacity worldwide but also one of the pioneer countries where the grid parity has recently been achieved. However, there might be a cloud on the horizon. The diffusion rate has started to decline in many regions. In addition, local solar firms – which are known to be important drivers of diffusion – have started to face difficulties to run their businesses. These developments raise some important questions: Is this a temporary decline on diffusion? Will adopters continue to install PV systems? What about the business models of the local solar firms? Based on the case of PV systems in Germany through a multi-level analysis and two complementary literature reviews, this PhD Dissertation extends the debate by providing multiple wealth of empirical details in a context-limited knowledge. The first analysis is based on the adopter perspective, which explores the “micro” level and the social process underlying the adoption of PV systems. The second one is a firm-level perspective, which explores the business models of firms and their driving roles in diffusion of PV systems. The third one is a regional perspective, which explores the “meso” level, i.e., the social process underlying the adoption of PV systems and its modeling techniques. The results include implications for both scholars and policymakers, not only about renewable energy innovations at grid parity, but also in an inductive manner, about policy-driven environmental innovations that achieve the cost competiveness.

Developing within-company information and communication technologies (ICT) innovation diffusion networks : a study of three Australian major contractors

The innovation diffusion and knowledge management literature strongly supports the importance of communities of practice (COP) for enabling knowledge about how to use and adopt innovation initiatives. One of the most powerful tools for innovation diffusion is word-of-mouth wisdom from committed individuals who mentor and support each other. Close proximity for face-to-face interaction is highly effective, however, many organisations are geographically dispersed with projects being virtual linked sub-organisations using ICT to communicate. ICT has also introduced a useful facilitating technology for developing knowledge networks. This paper presents findings from a research program concentrating on ICT innovation diffusion in the Australian construction industry. One way in which ICT diffusion is taking place was found to be through within-company communities of practice. We undertook in-depth unstructured interviews with three of the major 10 to 15 contractors in Australia to discuss their ICT diffusion strategies. We discovered that in all three cases,within company networked communities of practice was a central strategy. Further, effective diffusion of ICT groupware tools can be critical in developing COP where they are geographically dispersed.

Social implications of radical technology adoption within the livestock industry - a design investigation: Innovating disruptive technologies in traditional marketplaces

This thesis presents a design investigation into how traditional technology-orientated markets can use design led innovation (DLI) strategies in order to achieve better market penetration of disruptive products. In a review of the Australian livestock industry, considering historical information and present-day trends, a lack of socio-cultural consideration was identified in the design and implementation of products and systems, previously been taken to market. Hence the adoption of these novel products has been documented as extremely slow. Classical diffusion models have typically been used in order to implement these products. However, this thesis poses that it is through the strategic intent of design led innovation, where heavily technology-orientated markets (such as the Australian livestock industry), can achieve better final adoption rates. By considering a range of external factors (business models, technology and user needs), rather than focusing design efforts solely on the technology, it is argued that using DLI approach will lead to disruptive innovations being made easier to adopt in the Australian livestock industry. This thesis therefore explored two research questions: 1. What are the social inhibitors to the adoption of a new technology in the Australian livestock industry? 2. Can design be used to gain a significant feedback response to the proposed innovation? In order to answer these questions, this thesis used a design led innovation approach to investigate the livestock industry, centring on how design can be used early on in the development of disruptive products being taken to market. This thesis used a three stage data collection programme, combining methods of design thinking, co-design and participatory design. The first study found four key themes to the social barriers of technology adoption; Social attitudes to innovation, Market monitoring, Attitude to 3D imaging and Online processes. These themes were built upon through a design thinking/co-design approach to create three ‘future scenarios’ to be tested in participant workshops. The analysis of the data collection found four key socio-cultural barriers that inhibited the adoption of a disruptive innovation in the Australian livestock industry. These were found to be a lack of Education, a Culture of Innovation, a Lack of Engagement and Communication barriers. This thesis recommends five key areas to be focused upon in the subsequent design of a new product in the Australian livestock industry. These recommendations are made to business and design managers looking to introduce disruptive innovations in this industry. Moreover, the thesis presents three design implications relating to stakeholder attitudes, practical constraints and technological restrictions of innovations within the industry.

Langevin dynamics modeling of the water diffusion tensor in partially aligned collagen networks

In this work, a Langevin dynamics model of the diffusion of water in articular cartilage was developed. Numerical simulations of the translational dynamics of water molecules and their interaction with collagen fibers were used to study the quantitative relationship between the organization of the collagen fiber network and the diffusion tensor of water in model cartilage. Langevin dynamics was used to simulate water diffusion in both ordered and partially disordered cartilage models. In addition, an analytical approach was developed to estimate the diffusion tensor for a network comprising a given distribution of fiber orientations. The key findings are that (1) an approximately linear relationship was observed between collagen volume fraction and the fractional anisotropy of the diffusion tensor in fiber networks of a given degree of alignment, (2) for any given fiber volume fraction, fractional anisotropy follows a fiber alignment dependency similar to the square of the second Legendre polynomial of cos(θ), with the minimum anisotropy occurring at approximately the magic angle (θMA), and (3) a decrease in the principal eigenvalue and an increase in the transverse eigenvalues is observed as the fiber orientation angle θ progresses from 0◦ to 90◦. The corresponding diffusion ellipsoids are prolate for θ < θMA, spherical for θ ≈ θMA, and oblate for θ > θMA. Expansion of the model to include discrimination between the combined effects of alignment disorder and collagen fiber volume fraction on the diffusion tensor is discussed.

Atomic hydrogen diffusion in novel magnesium nanostructures : the impact of incorporated subsurface carbon atoms

Ab initio Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations are performed to study the diffusion of atomic hydrogen on a Mg(0001) surface and their migration into the subsurface layers. A carbon atom located initially on a Mg(0001) surface can migrate into the sub-surface layer and occupy a fcc site, with charge transfer to the C atom from neighboring Mg atoms. The cluster of postively charged Mg atoms surrounding a sub-surface C is then shown to facilitate the dissociative chemisorption of molecular hydrogen on the Mg(0001) surface, and the surface migration and subsequent diffusion into the subsurface of atomic hydrogen. This helps rationalize the experimentally-observed improvement in absorption kinetics of H2 when graphite or single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) are introduced into the Mg powder during ball milling.

Ion-assisted precursor dissociation and surface diffusion : enabling rapid, low-temperature growth of carbon nanofibers

Growth kinetics of carbon nanofibers in a hydrocarbon plasma is studied. In addition to gas-phase and surface processes common to chemical vapor deposition, the model includes (unique to plasma-exposed catalyst surfaces) ion-induced dissociation of hydrocarbons, interaction of adsorbed species with incoming hydrogen atoms, and dissociation of hydrocarbon ions. It is shown that at low, nanodevice-friendly process temperatures the nanofibers grow via surface diffusion of carbon adatoms produced on the catalyst particle via ion-induced dissociation of a hydrocarbon precursor. These results explain a lower activation energy of nanofiber growth in a plasma and can be used for the synthesis of other nanoassemblies. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.

Automotive modal lock-in: The role of path dependence and large socio-economic regimes in market failure

This paper addresses less recognised factors which influence the diffusion of a particular technology. While an innovation’s attributes and performance are paramount, many fail because of external factors which favour an alternative. This paper, with theoretic input from diffusion, lock-in and path-dependency, presents a qualitative study of external factors that influenced the evolution of transportation in USA. This historical account reveals how one technology and its emergent systems become dominant while other choices are overridden by socio-political, economic and technological interests which include not just the manufacturing and service industries associated with the automobile but also government and market stakeholders. Termed here as a large socio-economic regime (LSER),its power in ensuring lock-in and continued path-dependency is shown to pass through three stages, weakening eventually as awareness improves. The study extends to transport trends in China, Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia and they all show the dominant role of an LSER. As transportation policy is increasingly accountable to address both demand and environmental concerns and innovators search for solutions, this paper presents important knowledge for innovators, marketers and policy makers for commercial and societal reasons, especially when negative externalities associated with an incumbent transportation technology may lead to market failure.

An exploratory study on the commercialisation of heat pump-fluidised bed drying technology

Fluidised bed-heat pump drying technology offers distinctive advantages over the existing drying technology employed in the Australian food industry. However, as is the case with many other examples of innovations that have had clear relative advantages, the rates of adoption and diffusion of this technology have been very slow. "Why does this happen?" is the theme of this research study that has been undertaken with an objective to analyse a range of issues related to the market acceptance of technological innovations. The research methodology included the development of an integrated conceptual model based on an extensive review of literature in the areas of innovation diffusion, technology transfer and industrial marketing. Three major determinants associated with the market acceptance of innovations were identified as the characteristics of the innovation, adopter information processing capability and the influence of the innovation supplier on the adoption process. This was followed by a study involving more than 30 small and medium enterprises identified as potential adopters of fluidised bed-heat pump drying technology in the Australian food industry. The findings revealed that judgment was the key evaluation strategy employed by potential adopters in the particular industry sector. Further, it was evidenced that the innovations were evaluated against a predetermined criteria covering a range of aspects with emphasis on a selected set of attributes of the innovation. Implication of these findings on the commercialisation of fluidised bed-heat pump drying technology was established, and a series of recommendations was made to the innovation supplier (DPI/FT) enabling it to develop an effective commercialisation strategy.

Exact calculations of survival probability for diffusion on growing lines, disks, and spheres: The role of dimension

Unlike standard applications of transport theory, the transport of molecules and cells during embryonic development often takes place within growing multidimensional tissues. In this work, we consider a model of diffusion on uniformly growing lines, disks, and spheres. An exact solution of the partial differential equation governing the diffusion of a population of individuals on the growing domain is derived. Using this solution, we study the survival probability, S(t). For the standard nongrowing case with an absorbing boundary, we observe that S(t) decays to zero in the long time limit. In contrast, when the domain grows linearly or exponentially with time, we show that S(t) decays to a constant, positive value, indicating that a proportion of the diffusing substance remains on the growing domain indefinitely. Comparing S(t) for diffusion on lines, disks, and spheres indicates that there are minimal differences in S(t) in the limit of zero growth and minimal differences in S(t) in the limit of fast growth. In contrast, for intermediate growth rates, we observe modest differences in S(t) between different geometries. These differences can be quantified by evaluating the exact expressions derived and presented here.

Anomalous reaction-diffusion as a model of nonexponential DNA escape kinetics

We show that data from recent experiments carried out on the kinetics of DNA escape from alpha-hemolysin nanopores [M. Wiggin, C. Tropini, C. T. Cossa, N. N. Jetha, and A. Marziali, Biophys. J. 95, 5317 (2008)] may be rationalized by a model of chain dynamics based on the anomalous diffusion of a particle moving in a harmonic well in the presence of a delta function sink. The experiments of Wiggin found, among other things, that the occasional occurrence of unusually long escape times in the distribution of chain trapping events led to nonexponential decays in the survival probability, S(t), of the DNA molecules within the nanopore. Wiggin ascribed this nonexponentiality to the existence of a distribution of trapping potentials, which they suggested was theresult of stochastic interactions between the bases of the DNA and the amino acids located on the surface of the nanopore. Based on this idea, they showed that the experimentally determined S(t) could be well fit in both the short and long time regimes by a function of the form (1+t/tau)(-alpha) (the so called Becquerel function). In our model, S(t) is found to be given by a Mittag-Leffler function at short times and by a generalized Mittag-Leffler function at long times. By suitable choice of certain parameter values, these functions are found to fit the experimental S(t) even better than the Becquerel function. Anomalous diffusion of DNA within the trap prior to escape over a barrier of fixed height may therefore provide a second, plausible explanation of the data, and may offer fresh perspectives on similar trapping and escape problems.

Consumer Evaluation of Hybrid Innovations (summary section only)

Hybrid innovations, or new products that combine two existing product categories into one, are increasingly popular in today’s marketplace. Despite this proliferation, few studies address them. The purpose of this thesis is to examine consumer evaluation of hybrid innovations by focusing on consumer categorization of such innovations and on factors contributing positively and negatively to their evaluation. This issue is examined by means of three studies. The first study addresses the proportion of consumers categorizing hybrid products as single- versus dual-purpose, what contributes to such a categorization, what differences can be found between the two groups, and if categorization can and should be included in models of innovation adoption. The second study expands on the scope by including motivation as a predictor of consumer evaluation and examines two cognitive and affective factors and their differential impact on innovation evaluation. Finally, the third study examines the product comparisons single- versus dual-purpose categorization induce. These three essays together build up a broader understanding of hybrid innovation evaluation. The thesis uses theories from both psychology and marketing to examine the issues at hand. Conceptual combination and analogical learning theories from psychology are used to comprehend categorization and knowledge transfer. From marketing, consumer behavior and innovation adoption studies are addressed to better understand the link between categorization and product evaluation and the factors contributing to product evaluation. The main results of the current thesis are that (1) most consumers categorize hybrid products as single- and not as dual-purpose products, (2) consumers that categorize them as dual-purpose find them more attractive (3) motivation has a significant effect on consumer evaluation of innovations; cognitive factors promote an emphasis on product net benefits, whereas affective factors induce consumers to consider product meaning in the form of categorization and perceived product complexity, (4) categorization constrains subsequent product evaluation, and (5) categorization can and should be included to models of innovation adoption. Maria Sääksjärvi is associated with CERS, the Center for Relationship Marketing and Service Management at the Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration

A numerical study of laminar axisymmetric plumes due to the combined buoyancy of heat and mass diffusion

This paper presents the results of a computational study of laminar axisymmetric plumes generated by the simultaneous diffusion of thermal energy and chemical species. Species concentrations are assumed small. The plume is treated as a boundary layer. Boussinesq approximations are incorporated and the governing conservation equations of mass, momentum, energy and species are suitably non-dimensionalised. These equations are solved using one time-step-forward explicit finite-difference method. Upwind differencing is employed for convective terms. The results thus obtained are explained in terms of the basic physical mechanisms that govern these flows. They show many interesting aspects of the complex interaction of the two buoyant mechanisms.

Effect of sodium diffusion on the structural and electrical properties of Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) is a kesterite semiconductor consisting of abundantly available elements. It has a band gap of 1.5 eV and a large absorption coefficient. Hence, thin films made of this material can be used as absorber layers of a solar cell. CZTS films were deposited on soda lime and Na free borosilicate glass substrates through Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis. The diffusion of sodium from soda lime glass was found to have a profound effect on characteristics like grain size, crystal texture and conductivity of CZTS thin films. Copper ion concentration also varied during the deposition and it was observed that the carrier concentration was enhanced when there was a deficiency of copper in the films. The effect of sodium diffusion and copper deficiency in enhancing the structural and electrical properties of CZTS films are presented in this paper. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.