Late to the party? You might as well stay home; you’ve probably missed the good stuff…

It’s not likely that you’ve read the book – Diffusion of Innovations – but you’ve probably heard the concept, and used some of its verbiage.

Everett Rogers – professor (emeritus) at the University of New Mexico wrote the book in 1962, but it was in its fifth printing in 2003, just before his death. His premise: new concepts that ultimately gain wide acceptance are not universally embraced upon introduction. Over time, there are five waves of engagement: Innovators (2.5%), Early Adopters (13.5%), Early Majority (34%), Late Majority (34%), and Laggards (16%).

Innovators attend the invitation-only events that offer the privileged few a chance to see the Next Great Thing (NGT) before it hits the showrooms. Early Adopters know an Innovator – based on their insider tip about the NGT – and use their network connections to wrangle a first-generation delivery before the lines form for the release. The Early Majority lines up outside the retail showroom to get their hands on the NGT and impress their friends. The Late Majority – friends of the Early Majority – wait for the lines to disappear and the second operating system update before they order theirs. Amazon Prime delivers their package the next day, but when they flash it at the office, no one is impressed. The Laggards remain clueless until the next version of the NGT is already in the hands of the Innovators to place their order…

Where, in that academia-meets-marketplace adoption curve, does risk abide? It’s pretty obvious: the Innovators and Early Adopters are the entrepreneurs who embrace risk as the price of leadership. If you have a long-term allergy toward taking chances, you’ll do life in the Late Majority crowd, claiming superiority over the Laggards but missing the returns reserved for the risk-takers.

I know you’ve already put Christmas back into storage and you’re in the office this morning, but the Catholic and Orthodox communities didn’t finish their annual Birth of Jesus focus until yesterday, when they celebrated the Epiphany. Don’t miss that separate-from-the-manger moment…

Most of us have the Reformation buffer, distancing us from the liturgical Christian world. The Feast of Epiphany recalls, among other things, the arrival of the Magi to worship the Child King.

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi (wise, royal elites) from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” (Matthew 2).

The Christmas crèche had been disassembled; the Shepherds had returned to their sheep and the family had moved out of the stable and into a home. A star visible in lands east of Israel had captured the attention of erudite philosophers – with power and resources – and they undertook a significant journey to seek and secure a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When a future royal is born, you send a card and flowers; these high-level dignitaries committed massive time and resources to find and worship an extraordinary child whose future put him above the common political power structures.

The Shepherds were Innovators; but the Magi were Early Adopters. They embraced risk in pursuit of a high return. Interesting: they invited Herod to the pre-release party; he tried – but, failed – to shut down the competition of the Christ Child before the NGT got out of hand…

The Laggards will wait to get on-board until it’s too late: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2).

Hey, Magi: we’re still in the Early Adopters category, and we’ve been given invitations to distribute to the Majority. It’s crucial that they get in to meet the Son of Man before he returns as the Son of God.

Bob Shank