The York Research Database

This paper explores and develops the concept of ‘readiness’ as it relates to
the adoption of innovation. In particular, the paper discusses readiness in
regard to the notion of ‘technology readiness’ levels, widely used today by
both producers and users to monitor and manage emergent innovation.
The paper argues that, while useful, this notion needs to be informed by
and subsumed within a broader concept of ‘institutional readiness’. The
latter is especially important in conceptualising how new technologies
are actually adopted in organisational settings. The paper develops a
model of institutional readiness that recognises the saliency of
technology readiness but which embeds it within a broader sociotechnical framework. This is illustrated with reference to the emerging
field of regenerative medicin