Abstract for: Raising Implementation Effectiveness of Innovations by Considering Structural Aspects of Organizations

The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of informal communication networks on the implementation process of innovations within organizations. Therefore, a System-Dynamics model is built to simulate and analyze implementation-specific dynamics that influence implementation effectiveness. The findings of this study suggest that senior management of an organization can use its limited resources more effectively by focusing on employee groups that are connected to each other and by isolating excluded groups from other groups that are not influenced by senior management. In addition, managers should only apply pressure on groups until a specific tipping point is reached after which the innovation diffuses by itself within the respective group. Major limitations of the study are that only one network structure was examined and that all groups are considered to be homogeneous.