I have been following up on the previous post by reading a number of papers relating to the issues in hand. I have had a series of ideas but not been able to Crystallize these into a clear statement and research question. This afternoon however I have been looking at some related searches using Emerald. Using the search term: Content = All content, (management innovation index in All fields)

I found the following journal reference:

• INNOVATION IMPLEMENTATION: CONCEPTUALIZATION AND MEASUREMENT IN ORGANIZATIONAL RESEARCH. Author(s): Kevin Real, Marshall Scott Poole, Source: Research in Organizational Change and Development, Volume: 15, 2005.
• 15 ISBN: 978-0-76231-167-5 eISBN: 978-1-84950-319-8.
• Abstract: Developing a framework for classifying approaches to conceptualizing and measuring implementation of innovations. It first develops a typology that distinguishes rollout, modification, programmatic and transformation conceptualizations of implementation. The implications of each conceptualization for measurement of implementation are discussed. Following this a classification scheme for implementation measures is presented that distinguishes measures on the basis of their: (a) criterion for success of the implementation; (b) innovation unit; (c) source of data; (d) measurement scale; and (e) level of analysis. Issues related to various measurement choices are discussed along with recommendations for future research and development in the measurement of implementation.

The critical issue for innovations in organizations is not the design and development but implementation and subsequently routinization.

The conceptual framework and some questions I have now decided on are:

A case study exploring organizational behaviour and the diffusion of innovations: What factors enhance the likelihood of successful implementation and routinization?

• How do we know when an innovation has been implemented and how successful the implementation has been?
• What accounts for successful implementation
• Why some organizational innovations fail to survive in organizations?

“Implementation is the critical followup to adoption that ultimately determines the success of the innovation.”

Real and Poole (2005).

This is precisely what I have been feeling about the issue of innovation i.e. not the development but the implementation ere is the problem. It turns out that there is limited research into this area therefore there is a potential gap in knowledge. There are some associated theories for example:

(Max Weber called “routinization”—the stage that comes after a movement’s creative beginnings).

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/930531/routinization

I have also just come across the topic Organizational Ecology, the discipline that looks at organizational mortality.

Organizational Innovation Mortality: From the Population Ecology and Institutional Perspectives

“Increasing attention should be paid to organizational innovation mortality so that there will be more understanding about this phenomenon”

http://202.44.73.6/upload/file/File_teacher/Tippawan_article/2008_Article_Organizational_Innovation_Mortality_tippawan.pdf

Institutional theory: http://faculty.babson.edu/krollag/org_site/org_theory/Scott_articles/rs_insti_theory.html

Is also relevant to innovation adoption and implementation.