1. Diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated over time among members of a social system. It involves an innovation, communication channels, time, and a social system. 2. There are five stages in the adoption process: knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation. Adopter categories include innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. 3. Key aspects of diffusion include the innovation's attributes, the communication channels, the adopter's innovativeness, and the social system's norms and structure. Adoption occurs after an individual passes through awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, and adoption stages.

1. Diffusion and adoption of
innovation: concept and
meaning, process and stages of
adoption, adopter categories
Class notes prepared by:
Dr. Abhijeet Satpathy

2. Adoption and Diffusion of Innovations
Diffusion is the process by which an innovation is
communicated through certain channels over time
among the members of a social system.
There are four elements in diffusion process.
1. An innovation
2. Communication Channels
3. Time
4. Social system

3. 1. Innovation: An innovation is an idea, practice or object perceived as
new by an individual or other unit of adoption. Technology is a design
for instrumental action that reduces the uncertainty in the cause effect
relationship involved in achieving a desired outcome. The components
of technology are: Hardware (physical) and Software (knowledge base).
A good innovation should have following five attributes:
• a. Relative advantage:
It is the degree to which an innovation is perceived as better than the
idea it supersedes. The degree of relative advantage may be measured
in economic terms, but social-prestige factors, convenience and
satisfaction are also often the important components.
b. Compatibility:
It is the degree to which an innovation is perceived as being consistent
with the existing values, past experiences and needs of potential
adopters.

4. • c. Complexity:
It is the degree to which an innovation is perceived as difficult to understand and use.
In general, new ideas that are simpler to understand will be adopted more rapidly than
innovations that require the adopter to develop new skills and understandings.
d. Trialability:
It is the degree to which an innovation may be experimented with on a limited basis.
An innovation that is trialable represents less uncertainty to the individual who is
considering it for adoption, as it is possible to learn by doing.
e. Observability:
It is the degree to which the results of an innovation are visible to others. The easier it
is for individuals to see the results of an innovation, the more likely they are to adopt.
f. Predictability: It refers to the degree of certainty of receiving expected benefits
from the adoption of an innovation
Re-invention is the degree to which an innovation is changed or modified by a user in the
process of its adoption and implementation.

5. 2. Communication channel:
It is the means by which the messages get transferred
from one individual to another. Mass media are good
for creating awareness knowledge where as
interpersonal channels are good for forming and
changing attitude of the people towards technology.
Elements:
• Innovation
• An individual/ unit having knowledge about innovation
• An individual/unit having no knowledge about the
innovation
• Communication channel connecting two

6. Difference between communication and diffusion
Communication
• It covers all types of
messages
• A degree of risk is not
present in communication
• The focus is on changing the
knowledge or attitude of
people
Diffusion
• It is concerned about the
message of new ideas
• A degree of risk on the part
of receiver is present in
diffusion
• The focus is on overt change
which is evident

7. 3. Time: It involves:
 Innovation Decision Process
 Innovativeness of the individual
 Innovation rate of adoption
Innovation Decision Process: It is the mental process through which an
individual (or other decision making unit) passes from first knowledge of
an innovation to forming an attitude towards the innovation, to a decision
to adopt or reject, to implementation of the new idea and to confirmation
of this decision.
The steps in Innovation Decision Process are:
1. Knowledge : An individual/ decision making unit is exposed to the
innovations existence & gain some understanding .
2. Persuasion: An individual/ decision making unit forms a favourable/
unfavourable attitude towards the innovation

8. 3. Decision: An individual/ decision making unit engaged in activities that lead to
a choice to adopt or reject an innovation
Adoption: Decision to make full use of an innovation as best course of action.
Rejection: Decision not to use an innovation.
2 types:
Active rejection: considering adoption of an innovation ( including even its trial),
but then deciding not to adopt it.
Passive rejection: never really considering the use of the innovation
Discontinuance: Decision to reject an innovation after previously adopting it.
Replacement discontinuance: Reject an idea to adopt a better one or a
idea that supersedes
Disenchantment discontinuance: Reject an idea as a result of
dissatisfaction with its performance

9. • 4. Implementation: An individual/ decision making unit puts
off an innovation into use. Reinvention is likely to occur.
• 5. Confirmation: An individual/ decision making unit seeks
reinforcement of an innovation decision that has already been
made or reverses a previous decision to adopt or reject the
innovation if exposed to conflicting messages about the
innovation.
Throughout the confirmation stage the individual seeks to
avoid a state of internal disequilibrium or DISSONANCE, an
uncomfortable state of mind, by reducing or eliminating it.

11. • Innovativeness: It is the degree to which an individual or other unit of adoption is
relatively earlier in adopting new ideas than other members of a social system.
Adopter categories:
Innovator
Early Adopter
Early Majority
Late Majority
Laggard
Rate of Adoption: It is the relative speed with which an innovation is adopted by
members of a social system.
• Over Adoption: Continue to use an idea when experts feel it irrational to do so.
4. Social System: It is a set of interrelated units that are engaged in joint problem
solving to accomplish a common goal.
Components of a Social System
1. Structure: It is patterned arrangement of the units.
2. Norms: These are the established behavior patterns. Opinion leaders exhibit the
norms.
(i)Heterophily: It is the degree to which pairs of individuals who interact are different in
certain attributes, such as beliefs, education, social status and the like.
(ii)Homophily: It is the degree to which pairs of individuals who interact are similar in
certain attributes such as beliefs, education, social status and the like.

12. Adoption
Adoption is a decision to make full use of a new idea as the best course of action available.
Stages of Adoption
• Adoption Process is the mental process through which an individual passes from first knowledge of
an innovation to a decision to adopt or reject and to later confirmation of this decision.
The North Central Rural Sociology Subcommittee for study of diffusion of farm practices (1955),
identified five stages of adoption process:
• 1. Awareness: At this stage an individual first hears about the innovation. This means that individual
is exposed to an idea but lacking detailed information about it. This is somewhat like seeing
something without attaching meaning to it.
• 2. Interest: At this stage an individual is motivated to find out more information about the new idea.
An individual wants to know what it is, how it works and what its potential may be.
• 3. Evaluation: At this stage mental trial of new idea takes place. An individual considers the relative
advantage of the new idea over other practices/alternatives.
• 4. Trial: At this stage an individual tests the innovation on a small scale for himself. An individual
seeks information about technique and method of applying the new idea.
• 5. Adoption: If satisfied with trial an individual will decide to use the innovation on large scale in
preference to old methods.
Stages of Adoption Process as Used in Indian Researches
Singh( 1965) Need, awareness, interest, deliberation, trial, evaluation and adoption

13. Difference Between Adoption and Diffusion process
Adoption Process
• It is a mental process through
which an individual passes from
first hearing about an innovation
to final adoption
• It is a sequence of thoughts and
actions which an individual goes
through, before he finally adopts
a new idea
Diffusion Process
• Diffusion process is the spread
of new idea from its source of
invention to its ultimate user or
adopter
• It is related to adoption of
innovation in an entire social
system such as village or block

14. Adopter Categories
Adopter categories are the classifications of members of a social system on the basis of
innovativeness, the degree to which an individual or other unit of adoption is relatively
earlier in adopting new ideas than other members of a system.

15. Rogers (1983) has suggested following standard set of adopter categories
that is widely followed today.
• (i) Innovators: Innovators are also known as ‘venturesome’.
Venturesomeness is the salient value of the innovator. Innovators are
very eager to try new idea. They have more cosmopolite social
relationship. They have ability to understand and apply complex technical
knowledge. They have ability to cope with high degree of uncertainty
about an innovation. They are risky, hazardous and daring in nature. They
play gate keeping role in the social system. There are 2.5 percent
innovators in a social system.
• (ii) Early Adopters: Early Adopters are also known as ‘respectable’. They
are localites and have opinion leadership. Members of the social system
consider them as “the individual to check with” before using a new idea.
Change agents consider them as “local missionary”. They hold “central
position” in the communication structure of the system and are
respected by peers. There are 13.5 percent Early Adopters in a social
system.

16. • (iii) Early Majority: Early Majority are also known as ‘deliberate’. They adopt new
ideas just before the average member of a social system. They seldom hold
leadership position. They provide “interconnectedness” in the system’s networks.
Motto of early majority is- “Be not the first by which the new is tried, nor the last to
lay the old aside”. There are 34 percent Early Majority in a social system.
• (iv)Late Majority: Late Majority are also known as ‘skeptical’. They adopt new ideas
just after the average member of a social system. They adopt an innovation when
they feel that it is safe to adopt. There are 34 percent Late Majority in a social
system.
• (v) Laggards: Laggards are also known as ‘traditional’. They are the last in a social
system to adopt an innovation. They are the most localites and isolates. They
possess almost no opinion leadership. The point of reference for the laggards is the
past. They interact with people having traditional values. They are suspicious of
innovations and change agents. There are 16 percent Laggards in a social system.

17. FACTORS INFLUENCING ADOPTION PROCESS
I. Social factors: Community standards and social relationships
provide the general framework wherein the process of change
occurs, and they account for the differences between one
community (or group) and another.
(i) Social values
(ii) Local Leadership
(iii) Social contacts:
a) Nature of Social contacts
b) Extent of Social contacts
c) Social distances

18. II. PERSONAL FACTORS: Why some people adopt new ideas and practices more quickly
than others relates in part to the individual himself.
(1) Age
(2) Education
(3) Psychological characteristics
Values and attitudes (cultural characteristics)
III. SITUATIONAL FACTORS: Reasons why farmers adopt farm practices more quickly at one
time than another relate to the situation in which they find themselves when alternative
courses of action become known.
III. SITUATIONAL factor
1) THE NATURE OF THE PRACTICE: Characteristics of innovation
2) FARM INCOME: High farm income nearly always is associated with high adoption levels.
3) SIZE OF FARM: Size of farm is nearly always positively related to the adoption of new
farm practices.
4) TENURE STATUS: Adoption scores are usually higher for owner cultivators than for
tenant cultivators.
5) SOURCES OF FARM INFORMATION USED
6) LEVEL OF LIVING