Managing Change through Communication Technologies in Third World Countries Article

Fulk, J, Rogers, EM, Von Glinow, MA. (1988). Managing Change through Communication Technologies in Third World Countries . 1(2), 21-37. 10.1108/eb025597

cited authors

  • Fulk, J; Rogers, EM; Von Glinow, MA

authors

abstract

  • The process by which new technologies are spread through communication channels to members of a social, political or institutional system, is referred to as diffusion (Zaltman, et al. 1973). When these new technologies are diffused and adopted by a sufficiently large number of people, or units of a social system, to register some type of impact, social change is said to have occurred in the system under discussion (Zaltman, et al. 1973). A considerable amount of work has been done on how new ideas, technologies or products gain acceptance and become adopted, either symbolically or behaviorally. Diffusion of innovations theory, for example, describes the process in a highly generalized and systematic fashion (cf. Rogers, 1983). Similarly, technology transfer is a process in which technology developed for one particular purpose is subsequently used elsewhere, by a different user (Gee, 1981). Finally, the theory of critical mass explains why some new technologies gain acceptance and are put to use, whereas others are not (Markus, 1987). Each of these three perspectives represent different but related models of the diffusion process. The purpose of this article is to examine each of the three perspectives for similarities and differences, particularly as they relate to new technologies that are introduced in developing countries of Latin America, Africa and Asia. © 1988, MCB UP Limited

publication date

  • January 1, 1988

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

start page

  • 21

end page

  • 37

volume

  • 1

issue

  • 2