Research review: a comparison of two theories of resistance to innovation in baccalaureate level health information management programs.

Health information management (HIM) practitioners and educators must keep abreast of changing technologies in the health care environment as well as in education. The study reported compared two explanations of resistance to innovation to determine which one best explains the variance in receptivity and proposed innovations among faculty members in HIM programs. The psychological explanation holds that organization members' receptivity to change is a function of their personalities. The sociological explanation holds that members respond to specific innovations and that they do so in terms of whether the innovation would increase or reduce their present status. The 138 faculty members of all HIM baccalaureate degree programs in the United States were queried to measure their receptivity to computer-assisted instruction and televised courses. The data were collected using four semantic differential scales. The findings revealed that status variables accounted for the greatest variance in receptivity for each innovation. Significant relationships between selected status variables and receptivity to each innovation were found. The data indicated that the respondents were moderately receptive to the innovations of computer-assisted instruction and televised courses. The study also concluded that faculty were inclined to have a positive attitude toward change.