Innovation and diffusion of information technology in non-competitive environments as typified by county and local governments

The dissertation was motivated by a research project studying innovation and diffusion of document-imaging systems in county and local governments in the United States. Grants funded a nationwide mail survey with 267 responses, onsite workflow analysis in three states, and construction of four different document-imaging systems. County governments were offered low-cost, turnkey document-imaging systems. The diffusion was very poor, even though the conditions for adoption suggested by accepted theory were satisfied. The sluggish diffusion of these systems is the focus of this thesis.; The study first examined existing theory for additional conditions for successful diffusion. Because innovation studies are typically performed in organizations facing competition, two important conditions implied or weakly stated are strong motivation from competition and availability of slack resources to fund adoption. The motivation from competition is not met in county governments because of their monopoly status and the political environment; and there is a surprising lack of slack resources in this environment. These conclusions were supported by field studies associated with the diffusion effort.; The research then applied concepts developed by Cameron et al. in their study of declining organizations. Although the county governments were not in decline, the concepts were applied because they suggest innovation-impeding conditions. Their study of colleges and universities identified several of these attributes. The most salient were the lack of slack resources, lack of long-term planning, curtailed innovation, resistance to change, and conflict. The analysis, using the secondary data from the previously administered survey, supported the presence of these innovation-impeding attributes in the county environment.; The dissertation contributes to the theory of innovation by making clear the importance of competition (or some surrogate). A model for innovation in non-competitive environments is suggested. The study highlights the importance of slack resources, adds methods for analyzing slack resources and identifies other diffusion-inhibiting conditions not emphasized in the diffusion literature.; The results suggest further research on competition (or a surrogate) and the role of slack resources in innovation. An addition to diffusion and technology acceptance is Zipf's Theory of Least Effort. Suggestions are made for dealing with political, structural and risk impediments to innovation.