Corporations' resistance to innovation: The adoption of the Internet Protocol version 6

Computer networks that brought unprecedented growth in global communication have been using Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) as a standard for routing. The exponential increase in the use of the networks caused an acute shortage of available identification numbers (IP addresses). The shortage and other network communication issues are effectively addressed by the next generation of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). Its adoption proceeds slowly and most business networks still use the old protocol. This study helped cast light upon the problem that new technologies (as IPv6) are often not recognized as business opportunities. The purpose of this research was to explain corporates’ resistance to the adoption of innovation. Q method was used in this research. The population for the sample was drawn from executives and network administrators in companies that were headquartered in New York City and that maintain global computer networks. This study added to the understanding of business leadership and the motives that guide its decision-making. It appeared from the study that leadership‘s attitude toward innovation is – in many situations – ambiguous. As this research discovered, there is an insufficient level of awareness among business leadership of the benefits from available innovation, which may be caused by dysfunctional channels of communication within business organizations.