Computational Explorations of Compatibility and Innovation

. This paper presents a range of computational simulations related to the compatibility of novel ideas that suggest interesting phenomena regarding divergence and convergence, social influence and patterns of change. These computational studies produce insights providing the researcher with another tool to reason about these challenging problems. According to current theory, innovations that are perceived by social groups as having greater compatibility will be adopted more rapidly than other innovations. However, compatibility plays a role in some of the paradoxes of creativity and innovation and its real implications in a range of situations remain unclear.