What Drives Technology Adoption?

Copenhagen.
Finally now in this COST298 session we move on to Enid Mante-Meijer. Her interest is in the adoption of ICT innovation, which is a policy goal, for example, in the European Union especially in the context of broadband Internet access. What is innovation in the broadband society, though; what are the roles of push and pull factors; what helps or hinders innovation?

Innovation may be revolutionary, radical, or incremental; it is a concept relative to what exists already. Creativity plays an important role in adoption, as does the social context, and adoption may take time. Adoption is driven by push and pull factors, and Enid has examined examples for both as well as examples which show both elements. Online income tax forms or the new health system in Holland were clearly pushed by government decisions, for example, even in the face of user opposition; the adoption of digital TV in Flanders, on the other hand, was driven by both government and industry push and market pull, as was the adoption of Internet fridges in Denmark (!); use of mobile phones to network birdwatchers in Sweden, finally, was driven entirely by the birdwatchers themselves.

One model to explain this is that the characteristics of ICTs and of potential users must have a sufficient fit in order for adoption to happen. Another model is provided by structuration or risk taking theory, in which structure and context and practices and process influence sensemaking and choicemaking; this is also enabled or constrained by additional factors, and in combination these factors influence the speed of adoption and the diffusion of innovation.

Innovation may come from a large range of practices, then, and push and pull are both important - innovation alone is not enough to ensure adoption, but innovations must also make sense to potential users. This also must be taken into account by governance models.

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