There are multiple theories of innovation adoption, spawned from the 1960s onwards. The best known of these is the Diffusion of Innovation (1962).

If you work in business development, marketing or a related discipline you will likely have heard of the theory: Diffusion of Innovation. Developed in 1962, it explains how, over an undefined period, a product or concept can gain momentum and ‘diffuse’ through a population or market. If successful, the result is that mainstream society, or marketplaces, adopt and make use of the product or concept. From that theory has come a couple of industry terms that are widely used when referring to disruptive technologies: ‘The Chasm’ and ‘The Tipping Point’.