Analysis on the diffusion of RFID technological innovation from the perspective of disruptive innovation

Disruptive technology has profoundly affected the market environment and business patterns. Traditional and emerging industries are willing to adopt it to nurture their innovation activities and achieve competitive advantage. However, traditional technological innovation theory cannot give accurate guidance because of the peculiarities of disruptive technology. Thus, in this study, we explore the diffusion mechanism of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technological innovation from the perspective of disruptive innovation. We implement maximum likelihood fitting methods and the goodness-of-fit test to analyse the network's degree distribution characteristics through evolution. Results illustrate that the connection mechanism changes through the evolution process. In particular periods, preferential attachment does not work. Dominant technologies will lose their position with the emergence of disruptive technologies, hence replaced by them. The findings will provide practical suggestions to firms in facilitating their strategic decision-making when faced with disruptive technologies.