Glossary
Pro-innovation Bias
What is Pro-innovation Bias?
Pro-innovation bias is the assumption that an innovation ought to spread widely and quickly, with too little consideration of whether people should reject, change, or stop using it. In diffusion research, Rogers used the term to criticize treating adoption as desirable in itself.
Why it matters
Studying successful adoption more often than rejection or discontinuance can produce a one-sided picture of innovation. A technology may be useful for some people and unsuitable for others. Rejection or modification can therefore be a reasonable response.
Pro-innovation bias example
A company might judge a software rollout only by the number of employees who adopt it, overlooking whether the software meets their needs. A high adoption count answers one question. It does not show that the new tool was worth adopting.
Assessing an innovation
Consider benefits, costs, alternatives and differences among intended users. Rogers’s critique calls for research on unsuccessful diffusion and reasons for rejection as well as adoption.