This study develops and tests a structural equation model of the effects of persuasive
ness, salience, and uncertainty on participation in innovations. It focuses on a com
munication process crucial to the eventual innovativeness of large companies: the
process by which an innovative manager secures support in the early stages of an in
novation from other managers. The model was tested on data gathered from a large
financial institution (N = 210). In general, the results were supportive of the model
with an acceptable overall goodness of fit and measurement model. The results suggest
that the classic communicative variable of persuasion had a paramount impact on par
ticipation, reinforcing the notion that communication is central to innovative processes
within organizations.
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