Early adopters, innovations, and long term value

By William Seidman I like the work of blogger Guy Kawasaki, and he’s put up an interview with Stanford Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Hayagreeva Rao, who is the author of “Market Rebels: How Activists Make or Break Radical Innovations.” Dr. Rao has published widely in management and sociology. In his new book he takes on the adoption of innovation, and the role of early adopters to drive innovation. Early adopters’ enthusiasm doesn’t mean much to a product or a movement if there isn’t some underlying value.  Innovations that turn out to be mere fads (think pet rocks) can flare up and be hot for a while (and may make money for their originator), but they fade quickly. Innovations that add long term and lasting value, particularly value that improves the quality of life, tend to stick around for the long term.]]>