The Effect of Organizational Emphases upon the Diffusion of Information about Innovations

An important but seldomly addressed issue for both managers and researchers is how the environment influences innovation in work organizations. A theoretical model explaining this influence is presented and suggests that the environment affects both an organization's emphasis on change and the emphasis given a specific innovation. Findings from a sample of 2083 managers from 96 organizations illustrated that (a) these two emphases were empirically distinct and (b) only the latter significantly influenced managers' tendencies to inform their subordinates about an innovation. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for future research and managerial implementation of innovations.

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