Like so many things in life, our most productive work experiences are often a result of our willingness to try something new. In his 1962 book “Diffusion of Innovations,” Everett Rodgers popularized a theory outlining how innovation moves through a social system. He categorized the population into five segments: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and the laggards. Following the theory, you have 50 percent of the population (late majority, and laggards) that remain perpetually “behind the curve” when it comes to adopting innovative new products and technologies.
Personally, I’ve found irony in the marriage of “Diffusion of Innovations” with the widely adopted Six Sigma and Continuous Improvement cultures. We all like to share our CI initiatives and lean programs while giving presentations. However, 50 percent of us are reluctant to try something new.