Have you ever wondered why some products, services, or ideas take off quickly and are adopted far and wide? How about the opposite, a seemingly great idea or new product just languishes until it disappears. Understanding how both of these processes take place is the realm of those who study diffusion. Of course the idea is to achieve fast introduction and growth and to avoid as much of the languishing as possible!
Everett M. Rogers first published his book Diffusion of Innovations in 1962. It’s impact was immediate and his findings and insights are still studied today. There are many resources associated with Rogers and diffusion you can find in videos, articles, and books. To help you apply these insights into your own organization’s efforts, here is a general overview of some of the key characteristics of fast versus slow diffusion.
Although many variables have been studied over the years, five highly applicable ones are 1) complexity, 2) compatibility, 3) relative advantage, 4) visibility, and 5) ease of trial.
Complexity. The more complex a product or idea is, the longer it takes for people to understand it and how it might benefit them. Thus, when designing something new, it is best to make it as understandable as possible. If it has to be complex then it is important to provide support for potential customers to understand how it works and how they can use it. Thus, clear instructions, training, advice, and other such support can help speed the process.
Compatibility. It is important to truly understand the market the new product or service is designed for. Organizations that practice the marketing concept will be more adept at studying their customers and potential customers to enable better design that will help those customers by fitting into their current routines as seamlessly as possible.
Relative advantage. Again, practicing the marketing concept leads to developing services and products that are designed to have a competitive advantage over whatever solutions are currently being used. The better that advantage, and the more clearly it is seen, the faster the adoption will proceed.
Visibility. If potential users can see others benefitting from the new product or idea then they will adopt it more quickly. If the new item is not something that can be seen by others, try to make demonstrations and samples available. These can help speed up diffusion for less visible products.
Trial. As with samples for visibility, if someone can try a new thing without a full commitment they will be able to experience the benefits and faster diffusion can be achieved. Can your new service or product be offered on a trial basis? Can it be offered as a rental? Is a smaller version or portion possible? From new snack foods to new software applications, making a smaller or short term version available can result in faster adoption.
This is just a brief view of the vast potential that an understanding of diffusion of innovations can provide for improving your operations. Our book, Better Customer Service: Simple Rules You Can Apply Today, has several related lessons that can enable you to improve your service, your employee retention, recruiting and onboarding, and more. For more about diffusion and related topics, see the Resources section on this site.
-Terry