Diffusion of innovations

The contribution of this research is in positing that national level indicators matter in IT adoption and diffusion and providing empirical support for this theory. National level indicators are scantily represented in IT adoption or diffusion theory. Empirical results on this are almost absent in literature. Diffusion theory models of Rogers (1985) and Kwon and Zmud (1987) do not address national level attributes. National level indicators like culture, economy, institutional factors, physical distance from the innovating nation, IT infrastructure etc., could all be relevant to IT diffusion. Three types of major models (models based on adoption and growth rate factors and diffusion rate) are introduced and the effects of national indicators are examined. First, a general model is developed showing the relationship of various national factors with IT adoption and growth rate. The adoption and growth rates of nine IT products/paradigms are examined in context of the model posited. The hypotheses tested include: (1) IT adoption and growth rate is related to national value systems based on Inglehart's and Hofstede's dimensions, even after controlling for major economic and other indicators; (2) IT adoption and growth rate is related to economic as well as institutional and other national level factors; (3) The factors of adoption and growth rate of IT products/phenomena are different for different products/paradigms. Next, non-linear (temporal as well as space-time) diffusion models are used for modeling the diffusion process. For this purpose, mathematical models are developed and assessed. These models provide additional contributions in the area of diffusion model development. Time-series data on various countries are researched and gathered for this purpose. Preliminary empirical results show support for the hypothesis that national level indicators do exert influence on growth and diffusion of various IT products and paradigms.

In this study, DiMaggio and Powell's (1983) institutional model of isomorphic change is hypothesized to explain the changes witnessed in educational organizations with regard to the acceptance, implementation and institutionalization of distance learning. In order to show the power of institutional theory in explaining organizational change over time, a comparative qualitative case study methodology is utilized. Document analysis and interviews are used to explore the utility of this isomorphic change model. Each research question seeks to explore different influences of institutional isomorphism, coercive, normative, and mimetic. DiMaggio and Powell (1983) suggest organizations converge on similar practices and behaviors and appear similar to like organizations over time. The appearance of change toward homogeneity is explored through the isomorphic change theory which indentifies three forces, coercive, normative and mimetic, influential in determining how adopted behaviors and pr actices become isomorphically accepted by the organizational field. Coercive isomorphism stems from political influence and organizational legitimacy, often conveyed through laws, regulations, and accreditation processes (or outside agency requirements); normative isomorphism is associated with professional values; and mimetic isomorphism is copying or mimicking behaviors that is a result of organizational response to uncertainty. By examining the organizational field for the presence of these forces and measuring the extent of these forces at various points in time one is able to explain convergence on regularized practices and institutionalized behaviors, or how an organizational field becomes institutionalized, around a particular idea or practice.