COMMUNICATION AND ADOPTION 3(3+0)

Lesson 34 : Innovation Decision Process

Dissonance

Human behaviour change is motivated in part by a state of internal disequilibrium or dissonance, an uncomfortable state of mind that the individual seeks to reduce or eliminate. When an individual feels dissonant, he will ordinarily be motivated to reduce this condition by changing his knowledge, attitude, or actions. In the case of innovative behaviour, this may occur:

1. When the individual becomes aware of a felt need or problem and seeks information about some means such as an innovation to meet this need. Hence, a receiver’s knowledge of a need for innovation can motivate information-seeking activity about the innovation. This occurs at the knowledge stage in the innovation-decision process.

2. When he becomes aware of a new idea for which he has a favourable regard. Then the individual is motivated to adopt the innovation by the dissonance between what he believes and what he is doing. This behaviour occurs at the decision stage in the innovation-decision process.

3. After the innovation-decision to adoption, the individual may secure further information which persuades him that he should not have adopted.
   This dissonance may be reduced by discontinuing the innovation. Or if she originally decided to reject the innovation, the individual may become exposed to pro-innovation messages, causing a state of dissonance which can be reduced by adoption. These types of behaviour (discontinuance or later adoption) occur during the confirmation function in the innovation-decision process.
   

During the confirmation stage the individual wants supportive messages that will prevent dissonance from occurring.

The adoption of the confirmation function to the innovation-decision process suggests a new role for the extension worker. Whereas extension workers have in the past primarily been interested in achieving adoption decision, the new model gives them the additional responsibility for providing supporting messages to individuals who have previously adopted. Probably one of the reasons for the relatively high rate of discontinuance of some innovations is that extension workers assume that once adoption is secured, it will continue. But without continued effort there is no assurance against discontinuance, because negative messages about an innovation exist in more client systems.