Analysis of Diffusion Patterns of Knowledge and New Technology Among Japanese Early Adopters: An Ethnological study of Product Penetrations

This research focuses on the diffusion patterns of knowledge and understanding of new technologies among Japanese consumers, especially at the very early stage of product penetration. In Japan many manufacturers create a variety of electronic devices by listening to various consumer voices. For instance, the great success of the mobile phone industry in Japan inevitably depends on an understanding of the consumer perspective. In this research, using in-depth interviews with various generations, we describe general patterns of knowledge diffusion. We then apply these patterns to understanding how specific groups can understand one technology and what shape that understanding takes. Our arguments consist of two hypotheses: One is the difference of function by gender as a medium of knowledge diffusion in Japan's actual product market, while the other is the difference by generations. We found that certain generation and gender groups play important roles at the early stage of knowledge diffusion regarding new types of products with new technologies, which enable manufacturers to get effective feedback in creating and improving their products. We argue that the social network of this rapid and divergent feedback from the consumer side may explain why Japanese electronic manufacturers can realize high-quality products in short time periods. We believe that the patterns we describe should not be categorized merely as a theory of marketing, but as an environment with significant influence in the MOT sphere. Some engineers have noticed the existence of these patterns and used them as part of their intangible know-how in order to create smash-hit products, but they have not formalized their know-how and recognized it as part of the emergence of a "new Japanese management."