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Transcript

Hello friends. In our last class we were discussing about Adopter Categories and we saw the behavior of the population in accepting an innovation. In today’s class we will be discussing about the Innovation Decision Process. Before exactly entering into the discussion on Innovation Decision Process, let us try to understand the differences between the adoption process and the diffusion process. Adoption is the mental process through which an individual passes from the first hearing about an innovation to its final adoption. This is the simplest definition of adoption that we can say. On the contrary, diffusion we have already discussed but still I am giving you the definition. It is the process of spread of new idea from source of innovation to its ultimate user or adopter. So basically it is an special type of communication process, what we try to discuss in our earlier discussions.

Then adoption is a sequence of thoughts and actions which an individual goes through, before he finally adopts a new idea or accepts a new idea. But in case of diffusion it is related to adoption of an innovation in entire social system, that is the village, block, district or a State. Means we are trying to personalize here in case of an adoption process. But in case of diffusion process the unit of administrative unit as a whole that we are looking at. So these are some of the basic issues.

Now coming to the innovation decision process. The innovation decision process is the process through which an individual passes from first knowledge of an innovation, to forming an attitude towards the innovation to a decision to adopt or reject it. So in the context we said that in one of the earlier discussions. What is the meaning of the term ‘attitude’? So wherein we said that it is a mental predisposition of an individual for a stimulus, that is generally based on his previous experiences. So he is going to develop a particular, a sort of attitude towards that innovation and accordingly he takes the decision. The entire process of innovation decision has been explained with the help of this diagram, wherein we begin with the prior conditions. What are these prior conditions? So they are the previous practices. The felt needs, the innovativeness, the norms of the social system which are existing in the society. So these are the prior conditions, before accepting or rejecting an innovation or in the social system.

So with this prior conditions, the first and foremost step that we are entering into, the knowledge step, then persuasion, then decision, implementation and confirmation. So KPDIC these are the steps that it is being followed. We’ll be discussing them one by one and we will be coming back to this model again. So the innovation decision process has these following steps. I have already said about this, coming to ultimately the innovation decision process leads to either acceptance or rejections of a technology. But before that let us look into the concept of innovativeness. This we have already discussed in case of adopter categories also. The innovativeness is the degree to which an individual or the other unit of adoption is relatively earlier in adopting a new idea than the other members of a social system. Means the time element is coming into the picture. So how early I am in getting that innovation and how fast I can accept it and how I can work on it. That’s what is the thing that is going to make you an innovative individual.

The members of each of the adopter categories tend to have good deal in common, because as far as the innovativeness is considered and based on that we have divided the entire population into different categories. So the categories that we have already discussed, that include the innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards, and their characteristics also we have discussed at length in our previous discussion. So these are the outcomes of the adopter categories.

Coming to the first stage, that is the knowledge stage of the innovation decision process. The knowledge stage occurs when an individual or the decision making unit is exposed to an innovation, its existence and gains some understanding of how it functions. And this is what is a stage where he starts developing his attitude, and he starts analyzing his need and he gets motivated, and he starts with the information seeking behavior. If at all he makes the decision to understand it. And may be he is thinking of accepting it. So these are the issues associated with the knowledge stage of the innovation decision process.

Then coming to the persuasion stage. Persuasion stage occurs when an individual or the decision making units form a favorable attitude or unfavorable attitude towards the innovation. So how this favorable or unfavorable attitude are formed. So we said that it is based on his attitude. And how the attitudes are formed. It is based on the 5W’s and one H, because he is having good number of questions in his mind. So the moment he finds answers to these questions, if those answers are in his favor, attitude is going to be favorable. If answers are not in his favor, automatically the decision is going to be a negative one. And because of that so we are going to face some consequence of innovation. That we will be discussing in our next class. And the information gathering from all corners leads to the persuasion stage. And at this point of time he is developing a particular attitude towards the technology, and he is accumulating all possible information.

Then coming to the decision stage. The decision occurs when an individual or a decision making unit engages in activities that lead to the choice, adoption or rejection of an innovation. So at this particular stage, so he may go for the trial for verification of the attributes of innovation and he reverts back to the stage of may be accepting it or rejecting it. So in one of my earlier discussions I have already said that rejection does not mean that he is going to reject it forever, or acceptance does not mean that he is going to accept it forever. So this is what is depicted in this model. So what is that. So adoption may be leading towards the continued adoption in the subsequent years. Or it may lead towards the discontinuance of the innovation also. So that solely depends on his experiences regarding use of that particular technology. Similarly at a point of time if he rejects the new idea. It means he has rejected the technology or an innovation forever. So there might be chances of the, in future, that he may go for the later adoption. Or may be for one or couple of seasons, or whatever may be the time period. It may be the continued rejection. So this what is the stage at decision stage. So these are the things that are happening at the stage of decision.

Now coming to the implementation stage. So implementation stages occurs when an individual or the decision making unit puts innovation into use. So this is what is the stage wherein an individual or the farmer is coming into an action of making use of full use of the technology. So when he is in action, he may modify according to the situation. The technology what he has got, or the information what he has got from different sources or the different assistance. He is going to modify it according to his needs and he is going to accept it, and in that process he is learning good number of things by his own involvement by doing. And this is the basic reason behind why extension respects the experiences of the farmer. Because they are also putting in lot of efforts in the process of experimentation as it is being done in the research stations. So it is equally important for a researcher for furthering of the technology, for further fine tuning of the technology, for enhancing the quality of the research. So this is what Swaminathan has already said. You can conduct research in the laboratories. But the technologies can only be developed in the fields of the farmers. So these are the inputs that are becoming very relevant for discussion under this particular stage.

Then coming to the confirmation stage. So wherein the confirmation occurs, when the individual or the decision making unit seeks reinforcement of an innovation decision already been made or reverse previous decision to adopt or reject the innovation, if exposed to conflicting message about the innovation. So after its implementation. So the person who has accepted the innovation may change his decision or may continue with his decision of accepting that one. So that is where we are going to rethink about the practice what we have adopted. So this is what is the process of evaluation that we can say. And we have already discussed about at length the concept of evaluation and monitoring. So during the entire process of acceptance of the technology he is continuously monitoring the behavior of the innovation, that what he has accepted. And at the end he is confirming his idea with the evaluation process, whether it is to be continued or not to be continued.

With this we can conclude that adoption of innovation passes through various stages. An individual unknowingly these are the things that the researchers have developed. These are the stages that it passes through. But as a farmer, as an technology adoption unit, I am not aware of the stages what they are being explained so far. But I am into that practice. But my behavior is leading towards those actions. Basically it is a mental process and the decision taken may change in due course of time. And that is where the scope of extension continues forever, because we constantly keep on putting efforts in changing the behavior of the farmer, so that there will be more and more of adoption. There will be more and more of positive direction in case of innovation decision processes. So that ultimately leading towards the socio-economic changes in the farming community.

With this we are coming to the end of today’s discussion. And in the next class we will be discussing about the consequences of innovation.

Thank You.