This article discusses the role of the opinion leaders and change agents in diffusing innovations throughout the organization and beyond. The role of followers in the diffusion of innovations. Recent existing reseach evidence indicates a limited effect of opinion leaders on diffusion processes, yet these studies take into account merely the network position of opinion leaders without addressing their influential power. Early adopters are often opinion leaders, serving as rolemodels for many other members of the social system. Elements of the diffusion process diffusion of innovation the innovation the channels of communication the. Social networks, and perceived social support among alcoholics. This article outlines a method to accelerate the diffusion of innovations using opinion leaders. Fourth, if opinion leaders find the innovations useful, they encourage their friends the opinion followers. We study how opinion leadership and social contagion within social networks affect the adoption of a new product. We implement the proposed model in the case of a 3g mobile phone technology. These role models act as opinion leaders within their communities and can be important determinants of rapid and sustained behavior change. Aug 28, 2016 the role of social systems opinion leaders public and private consequences benefits and costs failed diffusion diffusion of innovation and modernisation 12. Further, in order to accelerate the rate of diffusion, it is crucial to target opinion leaders.
The opinion leader is usually among the first adopters of new products and uses wordofmouth. The roles of change agents and opinion leaders in the. The opinion leaders who students identify on twitter may also have facebook pages andor a blog. Diffusion process the process by which the acceptance of an innovation is spread by communication to members of social system over a period of time. Most of the past research has examined the diffusion of innovation with respect only to opinion leadership and adoptive behavior characteristics. Opinion leaders affect the diffusion process only when it reaches a critical mass. The end result of this diffusion is that people, as part of a. Harkola, julia and arent greve, the role opinion leaders in the diffusion of a construction technology in a japanese firm. The diffusion of innovations is the process by which a.
An innovation is an idea, behaviour, or object that is perceived as new by its audience. Opinion leadership degree to which an individual is able to influence informally other individuals attitudes or overt behavior in a desired way with relative frequency. Opinion leadership meaning definition characteristics. While it may lead to a more difficult evaluation at the end, students could attempt to engage general followers as well as opinion leaders using a myriad of social media tools.
The role of opinion leaders in the diffusion of new. In this study, i want to focus on the diffusion of innovation concerning fashion trends. It originated in communication to explain how, over time, an idea or product gains momentum and diffuses or spreads through a specific population or social system. In the diffusion of controversial technological innovations, experts influence the rate and extent of acceptance by serving as negative or positive opinion leaders. Rogers framework provide a standard classification scheme for describing the perceived attributes on innovations in universal terms rogers, 1995. Accelerating the diffusion of innovations using opinion leaders. Popular opinion leader pol is a communitylevel hiv prevention intervention based on diffusion of innovationsocial influence principles in which a cadre of trusted, wellliked key opinion leaders are trained to endorse safer sexual behaviors in casual, oneonone conversations with peers.
The role of social systems opinion leaders public and private consequences benefits and costs failed diffusion diffusion of innovation and modernisation 12. Opinion leaders and lead users in marketing and management. Diffusion of innovations and hivaids population media center. Pdf the role of opinion leaders and magazines in the diffusion of. Social influence in the form of an opinion leader was key to the adoption decision. Diffusion of agricultural innovation through opinion leadership.
Consumer behaviour, consumer influence and the process of. However, opinion leaders for one product category are likely to be opinion leaders for other, especially adjacent categories, as well 15. This raises the question of whether lead users and opinion leaders are positioned similarly in social networks, which we address using a. This report describes ten critical dynamics that govern how medical and information technologies are diffused in the health care industry. The central role accorded these opinion leaders in the diffusion of innovations is demonstrated by rogers generalization that change agent success is positively related to the extent that he or she works through opinion leaders 1982, p. Opinion leaders with high sociality are the best ones for fast diffusion. Diffusion of innovation definition, rationale and adopter. Opinion leaders play an important role within the twostep flow of communication model, where information is transferred from the mass media to the public in two steps. Recent existing reseach evidence indicates a limited effect of opinion leaders on diffusion processes, yet these studies take into account merely the network position of opinion leaders without addressing their. Individual and cultural factors affecting diffusion of innovation. Opinion leaders affect the diffusion process only when it reaches a. Social network thresholds in the diffusion of innovations thomas w.
Distinctive roles of lead users and opinion leaders in the. In contrast to earlier studies, we find evidence of contagion operating over network ties, even after controlling for marketing effort and arbitrary systemwide changes. Judy reduced johns perceived risk or uncertainty about the innovation. Diffusion of innovation and opinion leadership emerald insight. Everett rogers, a professor of communication studies, popularized the theory in his book diffusion of innovations. Epilogue 28 endnotes diffusion fnl guts spot 51502 12. Diffusion of innovations offers three valuable insights into the process of social change. Apr 24, 2017 elements of diffusion of innovation diffusion is a process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system. Early adopters are referred to as influencers or opinion leaders and are regarded as role models within their social system. Third, opinion leaders learn from the early adopters and try the innovations. May 28, 2010 opinion leadership is the process by which the opinion leader informally influences the actions or attitudes of others, who may be opinion seekers or merely opinion recipients. A test of the influence of formal and informal opinion leaders on the diffusion of.
Diffusion of innovations concepts relevant to hivaids prevention the diffusion of innovations is characterized by four elements. Identification of effective opinion leaders in the. What qualities make an innovation spread successfully. We analyse the respective roles of innovativeness and opinion leadership in diffusion based on the suggested model. Feder and savastano 16 have studied the role of opinion leaders in the diffusion of innovations on the example of pest control tools used by indonesian farmers. It also interested us to know that the roles of opinion leader are. The role of opinion leadership could be seen in the following examples. A simulation study this study investigates the critical role that opinion leaders or influentials. This study investigates the critical role that opinion leaders or influentials play in the adoption process of new. Diffusion of innovation doi theory, developed by e. We also show the models potential to identify and predict the opinion leaders of a diffusion system.
Tarde originated such key diffusion concepts as opinion leadership, the scurve of diffusion, and the role of socioeconomic status in interpersonal. Relative advantage the decision to adopt a technology is influenced by 1 the ability of a potential adopter to judge whether the benefits of using the innovation will outweigh the risks of using it, and 2 whether the innovation improves upon the existing technology. American academy of political and social science accelerating the diffusion of innovations using opinion leaders authors. Diffusion of innovation theory linkedin slideshare.
Finally, after most people have adopted the innovation, a group of the laggards makes the change. This study of prosthodontists and their choice of opinion leaders draws data from both national and local samples of professionals to explain the use of nonprecious alloys as a gold. Extension activities are typically done through validating and promoting the use of agricultural technologies that could potentially. Opinion leadership is the process by which the opinion leader informally influences the actions or attitudes of others, who may be opinion seekers or merely opinion recipients. Most studies have been retrospective, and most have neglected to collect information on interpersonal communication networks. Ellsworth 2000 commented that rogers diffusion of innovations 1995 is an excellent general practitioners guide. Individual and cultural factors affecting diffusion of. Opinion leaders play an important role in diffusion networks and are often identified and utilized in diffusion programs. Diffusion of innovation in health care california health. An opinion leader is a wellknown individual or organization that has the ability to influence public opinion on the subject matter for which the opinion leader is known. Does not foster a participatory approach to adoption of a public health program doesnt take into account an individuals resources or social support to adopt the new behaviour or.
An innovation is an idea, practice or object that is perceived as new by an individual or other unit of adoption. In addition, few have attempted to use the lessons from diffusion research to accelerate the diffusion of innovations. Role of opinion leaders and change agents in the knowledge. Exploring the role of innovativeness and opinion leadership. A simulation study article in journal of product innovation management 282. Prior research has shown that both lead users and opinion leaders may propel the diffusion of innovation. The innovation refers to an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new to an individual. Innovation diffusion relative advantage trialability observability communications channels homophilous groups pace of innovation reinvention norms, roles, and social networks opinion leaders compatibility infrastructure 26 iii.
Rogers argues that diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated. The present model deviates from past diffusion models by 1 explicitly includ. To increase condom use with main and other sex partners. Diffusion of agricultural innovation through opinion. Role of opinion leadership in diffusion of agricultural innovation role of opinion leadership in diffusion or agricultural innovation is the dependent variable of this study. Opinion receivers perceive the opinion leader as a highly credible, objective source of product information who can help reduce their search and analysis time and. Rogers in 1962, is one of the oldest social science theories. Opinion leaders new product or new usage information issues. The role of opinion leaders in the diffusion of new knowledge. Diffusion of innovations study and teachinghistory. This raises the question of whether lead users and opinion leaders are positioned similarly in social networks, which we address using a sample of 23 school classes consisting of 537 children. Extension activities are typically done through validating and promoting the use of agricultural technologies that could. We will cover the concept of opinion leaders and their role within networks. Social network thresholds in the diffusion of innovations.
This study investigates the critical role that opinion leaders or influentials play in the adoption process of new products. Highlights we investigate which opinion leader is the best initial adopter for diffusion. The role of opinion leaders and change agents in diffusion of innovations knowledge management systems are effective when the innovations are pioneered by organizations. The study of the diffusion of innovations in its presentday form can be traced from the theories and observations of gabriel tarde, a french sociologist and legal scholar rogers, 2003. They are instrumental in getting an innovation to the point of critical mass, and hence, in the successful diffusion of an innovation. Role of opinion leadership in diffusion of agricultural innovation was calculated on the basis of 10 specific roles with 4 level of extent of activity. According to rogers, there are four key elements that influence the way in which a new technology is diffused through a system. Elements of diffusion of innovation diffusion is a process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system.
Diffusion of innovations is a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology spread. Opinion leadership and social contagion in new product. Accelerating the diffusion of innovations using opinion. Experts as negative opinion leaders in the diffusion of a. Annals of the american academy of political and social science, vol. Effective opinion leaders vary by the types of social network and innovation. A simulation study this study investigates the critical role that opinion leaders or influentials play in the adoption process of. Key words asia, indonesia, opinion leaders, diffusion, innovations. Request pdf opinion leaders role in innovation diffusion. The key theme in this article is that we take the opinions of experts more seriously than rank and file commentators do and that is the reason why organizations must enlist the help of these individuals in diffusing innovations. Diffusion of innovation and role of opinion leaders. Then i will tackle what i feel is the vital role that followers play in the adoption process. The communication is informal and interpersonal in nature which happens between those who are not associated with the commercial selling source directly.
We investigate which opinion leader is the best initial adopter for diffusion. Although in most studies of interpersonal influence the opinion leader is also an early. Diffusion of innovations seeks to explain how innovations are taken up in a population. It is intended as a practical guide for changing the pace of adoption. Opinion leaders with high distance centrality are the best ones for maximum adopters. Request pdf exploring the role of innovativeness and opinion leadership in diffusion despite the extensive studies in the field of diffusion, the role of innovativeness in diffusion models has. Identification of effective opinion leaders in the diffusion.
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