| The objective of this study was to examine professional women in the Minnesota apparel industry in their potential roles as change agents. Change agents are professional individuals who influence the innovation-decision process because of their positioning between a change agency and their clients (Rogers, 1995, p. 27).; Twelve women participated who held executive positions in the Minnesota apparel industry sometime between 1950 and 1989 and were members of Fashion Group International, Inc. Two open-ended interviews were conducted with each participant. Transcribed interviews were analyzed for content and then related to the change agent construct. Change agent roles include: (1) developing a need for client change; (2) establishing an information-exchange relationship with the client; (3) diagnosing client problems; (4) creating an intent in the client to change; (5) translating client intentions into action; (6) preventing client discontinuance of the innovation; and (7) achieving a terminal relationship with the client (Rogers, 1995).; Responses provided insight about the change agent role specific to the apparel industry. To fulfill their roles, the women participated in activities as described by Rogers' (1995). For role 2, the women described the need to create both empathy and trust with their clientele, thereby establishing an information-exchange relationship.; The women were involved with different types of changes from short-term, such as changes in color trends to long-term, such as renovation of the image of a retail store. The women described interactive structures and their reciprocal influence.; The women influenced others within the structure of the organization where they worked, the apparel industry, and their consuming clients. As women were influencing consumers to adopt products or services, there were global trends, such as the rise of discount retailing, that affected the make-up of the products or services offered.; The change agent construct was further developed according to their role in a professional setting as a generation of women who transitioned into their careers from traditional women's roles at the time. The women became influential in the apparel industry by participating in roles very different from men, and by maximizing their positions within the industry and their homophily with clients. |
