Adoption of innovation from the business sector by post-primary education organizations

Abstract

Business organizations adopt innovation with the objective of meeting competition and improving their business performance; education organizations, likewise, operate in a competitive environment, are evaluated by stakeholders, and adopt innovation. The research presented here links these two sectors; its objective was to characterize the process of innovation adoption from the business sector by post-primary education organizations. Research data were collected from past and current projects in the education sector and from the perceptions of those involved in the adoption of innovation both in the education sector and in the business sector. The research results reveal a gap between the education sector’s desire to learn from the business sector and its success in doing so. We explain this gap using a model that describes the perception of the adoption process of innovation in the education sector. According to this process, although the business sector adopts innovation in a proactive manner, the adoption of innovation by the education sector is of a reactive nature.