The Adoption of Radical and Incremental Innovations: An Empirical Analysis
Abstract
This paper proposes and empirically tests whether different models are needed to predict the adoption of technical process innovations that contain a high degree of new knowledge (radical innovations) and a low degree of new knowledge (incremental innovations). Results from a sample of 40 footwear manufacturers suggest that extensive knowledge depth (measured by the number of technical specialists) is important for the adoption of both innovation types. Larger firms are likely to have both more technical specialists and to adopt radical innovations. The study did not find associations between the adoption of either innovation type and decentralized decision making, managerial attitudes toward change, and exposure to external information. By implication, managers trying to encourage technical process innovation adoption need not be as concerned about modifying centralization of decision making, managerial attitudes and exposure to external information as would managers trying to encourage other types of innovation adoption, e.g., innovations in social services where these factors have been found to be important. Instead, investment in human capital in the form of technical specialists appears to be a major facilitator of technical process innovation adoption.
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Participants recommended that the robot will incrementally introduce new features and be able to support and encourage older adults to use the technology as an installation method.
“• Option 4: Robot will incrementally introduce new features and be able to support and encourage older adults to use the technology (Dewar and Dutton, 1986; Green et al., 1995; Ezer et al., 2009).”
From Personal Narratives in Technology Design: The Value of Sharing Older Adults’ Stories in the Design of Social Robots (2021) · cites this paper as Dewar and Dutton, 1986
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“(cid:129) Option 4: Robot will incrementally introduce new features and be able to support and encourage older adults to use the technology (Dewar and Dutton, 1986; Green et al., 1995; Ezer et al., 2009).”
Background
- Authors
- Dewar, R. D., & Dutton, J. E.
- Affiliations
- Northwestern University (US)
- New York University (US)
- Venue
- Management Science
- Published
- 1986-11
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1422-1433
- ISSN
- 0025-1909 (ISSN-L)
- 1526-5501
- OpenAlex
- W2087652859
- Cited by
- 2,472
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 54 · 2025: 59 · 2024: 53 · 2023: 74 · 2022: 69 · 2021: 98 · 2020: 128 · 2019: 121 · 2018: 129 · 2017: 110 · 2016: 114 · 2015: 137 · 2014: 113 · 2013: 140 · 2012: 123
- FWCI
- 4.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Management Science (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Innovation Diffusion and Forecasting
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Innovation and Knowledge Management
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Firm Innovation and Growth
- Keywords
- innovation adoption, radical innovation, incremental innovation, footwear manufacturing, technical specialists, human capital, firm size, centralization of decision-making, depth of knowledge
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