The Life Cycle of an Innovation

Adoption versus Discontinuation of the Fluoride Mouth Rinse Program in Schools

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2545686
AutoresMary Ann Scheirer (autor de correspondencia)
Año1990
Volumen31
Número2
Páginas203
Fecha de publicación1990-06-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Health and Social Behavior (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0022-1465 • E-ISSN: 2150-6000
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/2137173
PMID2102498
OpenAlexW2001170158
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas23
Referencias citadas11

Reasons for adoption and for discontinuation of a dental caries prevention innovation (the fluoride mouth rinse program) are examined by using recent theory on decision processes within organizations. Greer's (1977) analysis of three theoretical approaches for the study of innovation adoption--classical, organizational, and political--are used as an organizing framework to analyze these two parts of an overall life cycle for innovations. The results from both descriptive and multivariate analyses support the relevance of "political" and "classical" diffusion models for both adoption and discontinuation. Organizational structure variables--e.g., demographic indicators, administrative structures, and financial measures--show little explanatory strength for either outcome. Both outcomes seem to be dominated by "political" influences from strong interpersonal communications rather than by formal decision-making processes. The results suggest that political contingency theories may explain the processes by which organizations adopt and discontinue innovations, whereas classical diffusion theory explains the content of these processes

Contingency · Contingency theory · Diffusion of innovations · Discontinuation · Economics · Epistemology · Institutionalisation · Interpersonal communication · Management · Organizational structure · Organizational theory · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Relevance (law) · Social science · Sociology · Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences · Innovation and Knowledge Management · Management and Organizational Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology