Guide to Accelerating New Technology Adoption through Directed Technology Transfer (2014)

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

1 The viability of the nation’s transportation system depends upon continuing innovation that can make the system safer, last longer, and operate more efficiently. State transportation agencies, responsible for development and operation of major elements of this system, play an important role in this innovation. Technology transfer (T2) is an integral function in the process that advances innovation and brings new ideas to transportation organizations. In this guide, T2 refers to a way that ideas, knowledge, practices, products, processes, or techniques are shared between and within organizations. As a purposeful action, T2 involves at least two parties, a source and a recipient, engaged in the sharing of knowledge about new practices, products, processes, or other elements of technology. T2 may be initiated by the source, the recipient, mutually by both, or by a third party acting to facilitate the sharing. Among the essential factors for effective T2 highlighted in this definition are the following: • The technology being transferred is broadly defined. It can be tangible (hardware and soft- ware) or intangible (knowledge and practices—why and how to do something novel). • At least two parties are involved in the transfer, a source and a recipient. • T2 is usually purposeful, directed at solving a problem or gaining an advantage, but it can also be an organic process based in culture change and evolution. Individuals with primary responsibilities for meeting the challenge of transportation T2 work in varied settings, including state departments of transportation (DOTs); other state agencies such as departments of motor vehicles, state and local law enforcement, and public works agencies; and federal agencies such as the U.S. DOT through the FHWA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (formerly RITA), and additional agencies within U.S. DOT. Others who play key roles in transferring technologies to transporta- tion agencies include the staff of Local Technical Assistance Programs (LTAPs or T2 Cen- ters), Tribal Technical Assistance Programs (TTAPs), University Transportation Centers (UTCs), private sector companies, and universities. These non-governmental agencies often partner with DOTs, enhancing transportation T2 efforts through the introduction of new technologies and broadening the audience for dissemination and deployment. This guide is intended for anyone who has an interest in applying innovations to solve transportation sector problems. Why Use This Guide? At transportation organizations and elsewhere, a well-planned and systematic T2 pro- cess can reduce the time needed to deploy an innovation. This is important because the more quickly that practitioners see the benefits of innovative ideas, practices, and S U M M A R Y Guide to Accelerating New Technology Adoption through Directed Technology Transfer

2 Guide to Accelerating New Technology Adoption through Directed Technology Transfer products, the faster they are to adopt them. This guide focuses on a purposefully planned and systematic T2 process called guided T2. This guide is meant to assist transporta- tion practitioners in accelerating the adoption of new technology through organizing a guided T2 effort. The guide will help educate practitioners about guided T2 and enable them to better understand the role of guided T2 in the broader process of innovation deployment. Whether the user is a state DOT employee, another public agency employee engaged with transportation, a public or private sector professional specifically responsible for encourag- ing T2, or a researcher outside of a DOT who produces new ideas that may eventually be suitable for application, this guide has something that can help. The guide is designed to assist practitioners with a range of experience with T2—from those just starting out to those more experienced in T2. Information is organized for three general classes of users who engage in T2 activities: 1. Novice. This person is new to T2 and is unfamiliar with the components of guided T2. Novices start with little knowledge of T2 other than that they have a product that they want to move toward implementation and deployment. This guide will provide the novice with necessary background information and a description of how to accelerate the adoption of innovation through a guided T2 effort. 2. Experienced T2 practitioner. This person is familiar with guided T2 and has worked with some or all of the guided T2 components before. The guide will provide the experienced T2 practitioner the opportunity to gather additional background knowledge and to ensure that the application of their guided T2 process is thorough and complete. The arrangement of the guided T2 components in this guide will allow the experienced T2 practitioner to discover and fill gaps in their process without reviewing knowledge they already possess. 3. Experienced T2 practitioner with a particular challenge to address. This person is familiar with the guided T2 process and its components and can use this guide to address a particular T2 issue or issues. These user groups are discussed in detail in Chapter 1. A guided T2 effort is built on 10 key components that follow from the T2 definition pro- vided above. Together, the 10 components provide practitioners with a “roadmap” through the guided T2 process. The 10 components are the following: • Address societal and legal issues • Have an effective champion • Engage decision makers • Develop a T2 plan • Identify, inform, and engage stakeholders • Identify and secure resources • Conduct demonstrations/showcases • Educate, inform, and provide technical assistance • Evaluate progress • Reach deployment decision These components, their interplay in determining T2 effectiveness, and how the practi- tioner can anticipate and manage them are the focus of this guide. For each component, the guide highlights where barriers to innovation may be encountered and provides sugges- tions for how those barriers can be avoided or overcome with effective guided T2.

Guide to Accelerating New Technology Adoption through Directed Technology Transfer 3 How Is This Guide Organized? Chapter 1 of this guide provides background on innovation adoption and T2; introduces “the Innovation Adoption Process,” guided T2, and its 10 components; and explores how different users can approach the remaining chapters of the guide. Chapters 2 through 11 of the guide are focused on assisting users with the guided T2 phase of the Innovation Adoption Process. Each chapter details one of 10 components of guided T2: • Chapter 2: Address Societal and Legal Issues • Chapter 3: Have an Effective Champion • Chapter 4: Engage Decision Makers • Chapter 5: Develop a T2 Plan • Chapter 6: Identify, Inform, and Engage Stakeholders • Chapter 7: Identify and Secure Resources • Chapter 8: Conduct Demonstrations/Showcases • Chapter 9: Educate, Inform, and Provide Technical Assistance • Chapter 10: Evaluate Progress • Chapter 11: Reach Deployment Decision The guide also includes a glossary and two appendices: • Appendix A: Guided T2 Checklist provides a checklist of the 10 components of guided T2 for the practitioner to use in tracking progress through a guided T2 effort. • Appendix B: Suggested Readings on T2 provides suggested readings to gain further knowledge and understanding of T2. How Do Users Get Started? All users will likely benefit from reading each chapter in this guide. The first step for prac- titioners is to decide what level of practitioner they are: novice, experienced T2 practitioner, or experienced T2 practitioner with a particular challenge to address. Novices should start with Chapter 1 of this guide to learn about the basics of guided T2 and to understand the role of guided T2 in accelerating innovation adoption. Experienced T2 practitioners may want to start with Chapter 1 of this guide to understand the role of guided T2 in accelerating innovation adoption. An experienced T2 practitioner may not need as much information as a novice, but may want to review some information to ensure that his/her particular T2 effort is thorough and complete. The guide uses questions to lead experienced T2 practitioners to information that they may need. Experienced T2 practitioners with a particular challenge to address may turn directly to Chapters 2 through 11 of this guide to delve into the guided T2 component(s) most rel- evant to their particular challenge.