Innovation and Diffusion Theories

¶ … Diffusion of Innovation The change process that takes place within a system is not so different from the change process that takes place within a patient or client on a behavioral level. There are fundamental variables that are needed for change in both individuals and systems (Anderson & Anderson, 2001). While those variables are different from one another, the way in which they work and what they offer to the individual or system as the change occurs are not that different (Anderson & Anderson, 2001).

Consider the idea that a person must change one small piece at a time. This is why things like New Years' resolutions rarely work. A person promises to, essentially, get up the next day and be someone different. However, people do not work that way, in the vast majority of cases. While some people are able to make large changes overnight, most people need time (Marshak, 2005). They can make a small change, which will eventually stick with them. Then, they can make another small change.

Over time, they really can become someone different, but it certainly does not take place overnight. It is a process, not a fixed point in time. Systems are very similar, in that they often require small changes to be made over a period of time. Some of that is done so that the system can continue being used while it is being upgraded, and some of it occurs due to cost, time, or other factors (Marshak, 2005).

It may simply not be feasible to change an entire system all at once, even if the changes to the system would be a much better choice than what is currently being seen. In that way, systems work very much like human beings, with the major difference being that a person generally goes through internal changes, while a system's changes are much more external.

Changes to a system may also affect a large number of people, while changes to an individual have the potential to affect only that individual, but could also affect others around that person (Marshak, 2005). That will depend on the particular change that has taken place. There are, however, elements that are unique to systems. Fundamental variables are necessary for change to occur, whether within a person or within a system, but not every variable that would work for a person would work for a system (Anderson & Anderson, 2001).

For example, most people change based on their feelings about themselves. They may be overweight, out of shape, not like their haircut, want to be nicer, desire more education, want to move to somewhere else, or a myriad of other things. Logic is part of these decisions, but the heart rules the brain in many cases of personal change. For systems, none of this comes into play. A system cannot decide to change, and has no feelings about whether to change.

It simply changes, when and if other people change it. As such, there is no thought process that is undergone by the system, because it is not capable of thinking about anything at all. As a non-living thing, the system is a human creation and not able to determine whether it wants or needs to change (Marshak, 2005). That does not mean, however, that there is no resistance to change.

While the system itself cannot resist change, the people who use the system may find that they are not pleased with the idea of change. Many people get used to the status quo, and they want to keep things the way they were in the past (Marshak, 2005). Changing the system would disrupt that, but it may become unavoidable.