Your Innovator’s Toolkit: Compatibility

Make things people need

During November, we explore four mental models related to transformation and change. By the end of this month, you will have strengthened your innovator’s toolkit with these new principles and ideas.

Today we look at compatibility.

#292 | November 18, 2022​ | Tom x Midjourney​

What does compatibility mean for innovation?

Everett Rogers, a communication studies professor, identified innovation attributes in his book Diffusion of Innovations: relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability.

Of these attributes, compatibility is perhaps the most important when considering whether an innovation will be successful. Your innovation must be compatible with existing values, beliefs, and practices for it to be adopted.

For example, a new platform for sharing school news with parents may be incompatible with how they interact with information or access communications.

For your innovation to be a good fit for your school community, it must first overcome this compatibility barrier. When evaluating your ideas in the creative process, it is essential to consider whether it is compatible with the existing lived…