Another factor is whether the tide is going in or out :-)  If you are
trying to ride your wave to shore and the tide is going out, it is a much
harder job (sound familiar :-)

I did my master's research on diffusion of innovations - how fast we pick
up on a new thing and use it (this was as it applies to nurses). The theory
I used was developed by Everett M. Rogers.  He talked about the adoption of
new ideas happening on an "S"
curve.  (I always envisioned it in my mind as that curve you see that
illustrates the progress of labor :-)  He talked about innovators - (the
venturesome) who use the idea first, early adopters (respectable), early
majority (deliberate), late majority (skeptical) and laggards
(traditional).  With lots of neat characteristics about the people in each
group.  Has a lot to do with change theory and how people adapt to change.


Then Kay Hoover introduced me to a book by Joel Arthur Barker called Future
Edge.  He's the paradigm shift guy.  He talks about paradigm shifts and I
would liken his concept to the same idea as the waves.  He says that
Pioneers are on the forefront of using a new idea, they are on the horizon,
looking forward to see what else there is to see ( the LCs :-), Settlers
are the ones comfortable in the old routine (the pp staff nurses  :-), they
want to know if it safe to move towards the horizon, they don't really want
to  move out of their comfort zone.  Pioneers are the people who stand at
the top of that s shaped curve -peak of wave that then crashes (the sliding
back-burnout stage) and say this isn't working anymore, we need to move on
and they begin a new curve or wave.

I also think personality type fits into all this too. And the theories
about how things become institutionalized (settled).  Lots of neat stuff.

When I was doing my research in 93-94 I was so amazed at how I saw the
development of ILCA and our profession fit so neatly into Dr. Rogers
theory.  fascinating stuff.  When you are involved in it, you think it is
all new, but we are really just repeating patterns that have happened over
and over since the beginning of time!  Sincerely, Pat in SNJ

PS: Diane isn't this what you wrote about in Clinical Issues in Lactation
2000?  Have any more volumes come out?

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