Top manager and network effects on the adoption of innovative management practices: A study of TQM in a public hospital system

This paper reports findings from a study that combined two theoretical pers pectives-top manager and network/institutional-to examine the factors influ encing organizations to adopt innovative management practices. The study se tting was a system of public hospitals and the innovation was Total Quality Management (TQM). Study results indicate that both top manager and network /institutional factors are important determinants of whether and when organ izations adopt innovations. However, as predicted, the relative importance of these two sets of factors appears to change as an innovation becomes mor e Widely diffused. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.