Innovators and the "Chasm"

Moore's chasm model highlights the gap that exists between those who invent new products and the rest. The chasm analogy that he uses paints a graphic picture of the distance.

In my experience, it is not just the gap between innovator and the rest that is the challenge in a new product introduction. It is the singlemindedness that an innovator often requires to drive his/her idea through to fruition. This determination can make the innovator resistant to input from others, and therein lies a major weakness. For ideas to be adopted by many, the reservations of others must be dealt with by reaching over the chasm and finding ways to bridge the gap.

As for whether the chasm theory that might be relevant to elearning innovation, the fact that this is a consumer marketing model is a weakness. The audience for elearning innovation is threefold; the student, the teacher and the investor/institution. I am not convinced that these three constituents all act as consumers in deciding whether to adopt an elearning innovation.

However, the notion of the need to bridge the gap between innovation and potential users is an important one, and finding sponsors/supporters is essential.