Bandwagon and leapfrog effects in Internet implementation

Abstract

This paper underscores the critical relationship between innovation adoption and innovation implementation, particularly how two contrasting effects—bandwagon and leapfrog—relate to organizational Internet diffusion. Bandwagon effects, adopting a technology due to fad and fashion, accelerate adoption but often lead to ineffective technology implementation. Leapfrog effects, however, attenuate adoption and often lead to effective technology use relative to early adopters. Drawing on and combining related Malaysian hospitality studies, this paper illustrates these two effects and extends the literature by showing that early, and late, adoption can relate positively to successful Internet implementation. In addition, the findings complement and question literature suggesting that business websites evolve through predictable linear patterns, and that adopter categories differ in innovation implementation styles.