Chapter 11. Consequences of Innovations

• The unpredictability of an innovation’s consequences is one important type of uncertainty in the diffusion process. Change agencies are interested in adoption and assume that consequences will be positive. Research methods are less appropriate for the study of consequences that would take observation over longer time. Consequences are also difficult to measure due to cultural relativism and confounding effects. Undesirable, indirect, and unanticipated consequences usually go together as to desirable, direct, and anticipated consequences.

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