Organizational diffusion of creative process developments ? a case example from home care

The complex process of organizational diffusion of change and development is an underrepresented topic in theoretical and empirical research. The purpose of our study is to analyze the mechanisms for fostering and inhibiting organizational diffusion of change and development and to create a conceptual model for fostering these creative process developments. Theoretical-ly, we particularly refer to the diffusion theory of the groundbreaking scholar E. Rogers. We enrich his theory with a dialectical, activity theoretical view focusing on contradictions. We ana-lyze 13 encounters of home care clients and workers for which the data was collected through participatory observation and interviews in the clients homes. The diffusion activity is analyzed in regards to the implementation of a new innovative tool named mobility agreement which is developed to promote the clients' daily mobility. The data analysis is illustrated by presenting two profound case examples from home care visits, one example fostering the diffusion of the mobility agreement and the other inhibiting it. The results gained are set in proportion to an analytical learning model central to activity theory. Our study illuminates the creative process of developing new innovative structures, tools and activity models, and the subsequent efforts to communicate and to diffuse these innovations at work.