Chapter 6

Change

The dosage metaphor is probably most amenable to problems of change, which inevitably ask what is it we need to do to cause a particular reaction in an individual or a social system? But, “… metaphors should not be seen as a means for sugar coating bitter pills.”1 We will examine the implementation of innovations in one organizational setting before turning to the broader problem of transfer both within and between organizations. Following Everett Rogers’ approach to the diffusion of innovations we explicitly incorporate interpersonal and mass communication, in part, by applying network analysis to this problem.2

Implementation

Successful implementation of an innovation, once it is transferred, can be conceived of as the ...

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