The Role of Networks In the Diffusion of Technological Innovation*

Abstract

This research considers the diffusion of computer-aided production management (CAPM) technology in the UK manufacturing sector during the mid to late 1980s, focusing on the role of inter-organizational networks in the diffusion process. Research on innovation diffusion has tended to adopt a 'pro-innovation bias' such that adoption of prescribed best practice technologies is always considered to be the best policy. In the UK, one particular form of CAPM (MRP/MRPII) has been heavily promoted by technology suppliers as best practice. However, the notion of 'best practice' de-emphasizes the importance of decisions about technology design when users attempt to develop firm-specific solutions. Crucial to these decisions are the inter-organizational networks through which potential adopters learn about relevant technologies. Using three case companies, where the introduction of CAPM occurred at approximately the same time, decisions regarding adoption, design and subsequent implementation, are explored in order to establish the influence of inter-organizational networks on the diffusion and subsequent appropriation of CAPM technologies. These cases revealed that potential adopters engaged in a range of inter-organizational networks through which they learned about new technologies. However, the knowledge diffused through many of these networks was shaped by technology suppliers who were promoting similar ideas about best practice. Thus, while involvement in inter-organizational networks gave potential adopters access to information about new technology, this information tended to reinforce supplier images of best practice and did not always lead these firms to develop appropriate technological solutions. Problematic relationships between the suppliers of the technology and the users was seen here to limit the redesign and further diffusion of CAPM. Copyright 1996 Basil Blackwell Ltd.

Underlying Factors of Attitude and Intention Towards Knowledge Sharing Among Employees: the Case of the Hotel Business in Ambon, Indonesia

“…Channel richness refers to the existence and provision of these various ways during the process of knowledge sharing (Kwok and Gao, 2005). The richness of the channel will facilitate and stimulate the organisations' members to acquire and share knowledge within the organisation (Robertson et al, 1996). …”

“…Kwok and Gao, 2005). Robertson et al (1996) states that channel richness can help an organization's members find and share knowledge with each other at any time and in every place. The richness of the channel enables the members of the organization to have a comfortable and flexible knowledge sharing.…”

Building a Narrative Based Requirements Engineering Mediation Model

“…purchasing and marketing) had different ideas about the problems they were facing and did not believe the new MRP2 to be the solution. Eventually the new system failed due to poor management of such conflicting interests and goals between two users groups [14]. This negotiated form of conflict resolution is seriously questioned in the above situation.…”

“…However, evidence from the IS discipline suggests that conflicting interests and goals are not only between the users' site and the developers' site, but are often between different user groups. For example, Robertson et al describe a case where the decision to develop a new production management system was predominantly led by manufacturing and production department specialists who decide to invest heavily in a new manufacturing resources planning system (MRP2) [14]. However, in this case, stakeholders from other functional departments (e.g.…”

Cooperation for innovation: impact evidence for European manufacturing SMEs

“…Amongst rationales for such cooperation, firms may manage to reduce their risks and mistakes in the design of technological products and processes as well as in non-technological marketing and organizational innovations (Fujimoto, Iansiti, and Clark, 1996;Nishiguchi and Ikeda, 1996;Robertson and Swan, 1996). Pippel (2014) suggests that the main incentives for firms to cooperate on technological innovations apply also to non-technological organizational and marketing innovations.…”