| The healthcare industry is undergoing several changes that are creating many challenges for hospital board members, administrators, and leading staff. Hospital administrators need to find new ways of managing the business, and one such managerial innovation is the Balanced Scorecard. This study examined the individual characteristics of professionals and managers and the factors that influence the diffusion of a managerial innovation and the degree to which they adopt Balanced Scorecard innovation.; A sample was obtained from a population of decision makers, which includes not only traditional management levels but also professionals (nurses, therapists, accountants, engineers, and analysts to name a few) within the healthcare setting. The sampling frame for the study was from employees at Mercy Hospital, Miami, who are decision makers in their current roles. The independent variables are the perceived characteristics of an innovation and the individual characteristics of the potential adopter. The dependent variable was the healthcare professionals' and management staff's intent to adopt a balanced scorecard. The variables in the study were measured using the 33-item questionnaire multi-item scale developed and tested for reliability and validity by Moore and Benbasat (1991) with the addition of demographic or individual characteristics of the professionals and managers.; The general research questions that were investigated in the study are as follows: Is there a correlation between the individual characteristics of professionals and managers and the degree with which they adopt Balanced Scorecard innovation? Does the professional's or manager's beliefs of how their actions are perceived by others influence their behavior? Does the identification of antecedents of innovativeness predict the degree of adoption of Balanced Scorecards by managers and professionals?; The research found that the Individual Differences characteristics had mixed results: Role within Healthcare and Level in the organization influences Behavioral Intent; however, Tenure and Educational Level were found not to influence Behavioral Intent. In addition, an individual's Role within Healthcare and Educational Level had a positive correlation with Ease of Use, Result Demonstrability, and Avoidance. |
