Do Adaptors and Innovators Subscribe to Opposing Values?

Abstract

Many studies reveal that adaptors are more ready to accept the status quo, whereas innovators are less likely to do so. This raises the question: Do adaptors and innovators subscribe to opposing values? A study is conducted with the following hypotheses. H1 predicts that adaptors are more likely to subscribe to CONSERVATION values like security, conformity, and tradition. H2 predicts that innovators are more likely to subscribe to OPENNESS TO CHANGE values like self-direction and stimulation. The respondents consisted of 243 students from Singapore with an average age of 17.9 years and 195 students from Australia with an average age of 19.1 years. These respondents answered a survey that contained the Kirton Adaption-Innovation (KAI) inventory and the Schwartz value survey. For the Singapore sample, KAI was negatively correlated with CONSERVATION: r = –.39, p < .0001; but it was positively correlated with OPENNESS TO CHANGE: r = .14, p < .05. For the Australian sample, KAI was negatively correlated with CONSERVATION: r = –.15, p < .05; but it was positively correlated with OPENNESS TO CHANGE: r = .32, p < .0001. A standard regression analysis indicated that CONSERVATION was the most significant predictor (β = –.43, p < .0001) of KAI, followed by OPENNESS TO CHANGE (β = .37, p < .0001) and Nationality (β = .21, p < .0001). The significant finding associated with Nationality could be attributed to the fact that the Singaporean respondents were a highly select and innovative group of individuals who were aspiring to work in the media industry.