I learned about ‘The Diffusion of Innovation Theory’ in a DevOps Foundation
training course. I wanted to get my
DevOps certification but more than that to learn about what makes a DevOps
initiative successful. When I mentioned
the Diffusion of Innovation Theory to a coworker he said “It sounds like Sheldon
talking to Raj on “The Big Bang Theory” TV series. Although the name sounds Big Bangish the
usage of this theory could be the real difference for success in any
transformational change including DevOps.
To start let’s begin with the
definition of DevOps. DevOps is a professional and cultural movement that that
stresses communication, collaboration, integration and automation in order to
improve the flow of work between software developers and IT operations
professionals. Improved workflows will result in an improved ability to design,
develop, deploy and operate software and services faster. That’s where this
“Big Bang” or Diffusion of Innovation Theory comes in. DevOps is a culture shift.
DevOps is a cultural movement that
requires us to shatter the silos and to quickly integrate our teams to increase
the flow of work from idea to end of life for the strategy, development,
deployment and the sustaining of service over their life. Adoption of a new
idea, behavior, or product (i.e., ‘innovation’) does not happen simultaneously
in a social system. It is a process whereby some people are more apt to adopt
the innovation than others. Researchers
have found that people who adopt an innovation early have different
characteristics than people who adopt an innovation later. Learning what those characteristics are and
then how to apply the proper technique for each will help with the management
of organizational change.
The Diffusion of Innovation is a
theory that seeks to explain how, why, and at what rate new ideas and technology
spread. While most of the general
population tends to fall in the middle categories, it is still necessary to
understand the characteristics of a given target population. When promoting an
innovation there are different strategies used to appeal to the different
adopter categories.
• Innovators – want to be the
first to try the innovation. They are venturesome and interested in new ideas.
These people are very willing to take risks and are often the first to develop
new ideas. Very little, if anything, needs to be done to appeal to this
population.
• Early Adopters – represent
opinion leaders. They enjoy leadership roles and embrace change opportunities.
They are already aware of the need to change and so are very comfortable
adopting new ideas. Strategies to appeal to this population include how‐to
manuals and information sheets on implementation. They do not need information
to convince them to change.
• Early Majority – rarely
leaders, but they do adopt new ideas before the average person. That said, they
typically need to see evidence that the innovation works before they are
willing to adopt it. Strategies to appeal to this population include success
stories and evidence of the innovation's effectiveness.
• Late Majority – skeptical of
change and will only adopt an innovation after it has been tried by the
majority. Strategies to appeal to this population include information on how
many other people have tried the innovation and have adopted it successfully.
• Laggards ‐ bound by tradition
and very conservative. They are very skeptical of change and are the hardest
group to bring on board. Strategies to appeal to this population include
statistics, fear appeals, and pressure from people in the other adopter groups.
When promoting an innovation to a
target population, it is important to understand the characteristics of the
target population that will help or hinder adoption of the innovation. The
Diffusion of Innovation Theory could be the “Big Bang” that you are looking for
to ensure the success of your DevOps initiative.
And ITSM Academy classes: http://www.itsmacademy.com/devops
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