Limits to the diffusion of innovation

Purpose The purpose of this article is to integrate existing theoretical explanations for innovation diffusion across the disciplines of marketing, innovation and sociology research. Design/methodology/approach Literature reviews and historical case analysis were used to support an integrative model. Findings Innovation diffusion is affected by technological, social and learning “conditions” while operating in the contextual “domain” of the individual, community or market/industry. Research limitations/implications The model is drawn from new product development and marketing theory. Both fields are dominated by the assumption that users adopt new technology to maximise their utility. Also, the model does not integrate the overlapping effects of the different contexts and domains. Practical implications The article provides a sound model for orienting new product development strategy, since it may reduce the risk of low and slow user adoption of radical innovations due, for instance, to their technological, social, and cognitive differences with former products. A second critical managerial implication is that technological, social and learning conditions clearly have an effect on marketing actions and competitive strategies. Originality/value The article provides a literature review of resistance to technology adoption through a multidisciplinary lens.