Applying Diffusion of Innovation Theory to Intervention Development

Abstract

Few social science theories have a history of conceptual and empirical study as long as does the diffusion of innovations. The robustness of this theory derives from the many disciplines and fields of study in which diffusion has been studied, from the international richness of these studies, and from the variety of new ideas, practices, programs, and technologies that have been the objects of diffusion research. Early theorizing from the beginning of the 20th century was gradually displaced by post hoc empirical research that described and explained diffusion processes. By the 1950s, diffusion researchers had begun to apply the collective knowledge learned about naturalistic diffusion in tests of process interventions to affect the spread of innovations. Now, this purposive objective has given form to a science of dissemination in which evidence-based practices are designed a priori not just to result in internal validity but to increase the likelihood that external validity and diffusion both are more likely to result. Here, I review diffusion theory and focus on seven conceptsintervention attributes, intervention clusters, demonstration projects, societal sectors, reinforcing contextual conditions, opinion leadership, and intervention adaptation-with potential for accelerating the spread of evidence-based practices, programs, and policies in the field of social work. Keywords diffusion of innovations; dissemination; translational research; implementationDiffusion really includes three fairly distinct processes: Presentation of the new culture element or elements to the society, acceptance by the society, and the integration of the accepted element or elements into the preexisting culture.-Ralph Linton, 1936, p. 334. Diffusion is a natural social phenomenon that happens with or without any particular theory to explain it. In fact, whether the innovation involves a new idea, new pattern of behavior, or a new technology, it is also a natural physical phenomenon as well, one that describes the spread of an object in space and time. Diffusion theory does not lead to the conclusion that one must wait for the diffusion of a new product or practice to reach the poorest people …. In fact, one can accelerate the rate of adoption in any segment of the population through more intensive and more appropriate communication and outreach.

If we only knew what we know: principles for knowledge sharing across people, practices, and platforms

“…It is well-known that even strong evidence in favor of a practice change does not adequately motivate adoption [13,36,52]. An assumption to the contrary is a common error that leads to ineffective dissemination [12]. This is so even in the face of elaborate, multiple, and integrated dissemination systems to publicize public health and healthcare innovations at the national level [28].…”

“…Lead users are well-known, wellconnected members of a social system who are considered especially credible by their colleagues and near-peers [21]. They are not only early adopters of innovations but more specifically informal opinion leaders whose advice is sought by others [12]. Lead users are frequently "lead rejecters" of change initiatives, too, so communicating early with them about the new resource, its purpose and function, and sharing prototype versions for their input is important for in turn being able to convince them to be featured personalities on the registry as users and contributors to the system.…”

Putting program evaluation to work: a framework for creating actionable knowledge for suicide prevention practice

“…There are a number of reasons why this knowledge-action gap exists [16]. For example, Dearing [17] identified a number of common mistakes made when disseminating research findings and strategies shown to be effective in research settings into practice, such as assuming that evidence matters in the decision making of potential adopters, substituting researchers' perceptions for those of potential adopters, and failing to distinguish between the different roles needed for successful dissemination. Therefore, in order for crucial research and evaluation findings to reach the broadest audience possible and be effectively and widely adopted, it is important to understand how to make these findings relevant and effectively disseminate, implement, and bring them to scale in a wide variety of contexts and settings.…”

“…The knowledge-action gap is one of the most challenging barriers for public health practice [17], including suicide prevention. The TLC initiative, Life is Sacred Native Youth Suicide Prevention Program, and the Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Program used an adapted four-step actionable knowledge framework, informed by the best available evidence on knowledge translation, and created three very different actionable knowledge products to make their evaluation findings accessible, useful, and relevant for application in the field.…”

Improvement Science: conceptual and theoretical foundations for its application to healthcare quality improvement

“…The literature presents a set of studies identifying theories 35,58,66,67,68,69 for the prediction and explanation of mechanisms of change associated with healthcare quality improvement interventions at the macro political, organizational and social context and individual behavior levels (Table 1).…”