Heterogeneity in Personal Innovativeness: Evidence from a Cluster Analysis

Dinko Primorac

doi:10.2478/crdj-2026-0006

.blurhash-client-img { display: none !important; }

Heterogeneity in Personal Innovativeness: Evidence from a Cluster Analysis

Croatian Regional Development Journal

Volume 7 (2026): Issue 1 (April 2026)

By: Dinko Primorac

Open Access

|May 2026

Abstract

Individual readiness to engage with innovation represents an important component of broader economic and development processes. This study examines the structure and heterogeneity of personal innovativeness in the Croatian context using survey data collected from 400 respondents. A 20-item instrument capturing both pro-innovative behaviours and resistance to innovation was analysed using principal component analysis, which revealed a stable two-dimensional structure distinguishing proactive innovativeness and attitudinal openness to innovation. Based on these dimensions, cluster analysis identified three distinct profiles of individuals: High Innovators, Cautious Adopters, and Moderate Individuals. The results indicate that personal innovativeness is not uniformly distributed but organised into clearly differentiated behavioural segments. Further analysis shows statistically significant differences across clusters in education, age, and gender, with higher levels of innovativeness associated with higher educational attainment and younger age groups. The findings suggest that individual-level innovation potential is embedded in the socio-demographic structure, with implications for the design of development-oriented policies and organisational practices to foster innovation in Croatia.

References

Agarwal, R., & Prasad, J. (1998). A conceptual and operational definition of personal innovativeness in the domain of information technology. Information Systems Research, 9(2), 204–215. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.9.2.204
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Agresti, A. (2013). Categorical data analysis (3rd ed.). Wiley.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Arsenijević, O., Bulatović, L., & Bulatović, G. (2012). The connection between value system and innovativity of media students in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Praktični menadžment, 3(1), 7–15.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Gomezelj Omerzel, D., & Smolčić Jurdana, D. (2015). The predictors of innovativeness in the tourism industry: A comparative study between Croatia and Slovenia. In Tourism in Southern and Eastern Europe (Vol. 3, pp. 75–88). University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Cengage.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Jolliffe, I. T. (2002). Principal component analysis (2nd ed.). Springer.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Jung, T., & Ejermo, O. (2014). Demographic patterns and trends in patenting: Gender, age, and education of inventors. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 86, 110–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2013.08.023
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Ketchen, D. J., & Shook, C. L. (1996). The application of cluster analysis in strategic management research: An analysis and critique. Strategic Management Journal, 17(6), 441–458.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Kotsev, E., & Stoycheva, B. (2024). Antecedents of individual innovativeness: Exploring gender, age and job nature. In AIP Conference Proceedings (Vol. 3063, Article 070008). AIP Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0195921
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Lažnjak, J. (2011). Dimensions of national innovation culture in Croatia: Content validity of Hofstede’s dimensions. Društvena istraživanja, 20(4), 1015–1038. https://doi.org/10.5559/di.20.4.05
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Moore, P. R. (2012). Exploring relationships between personal innovativeness and the acceptance of technology among school administrators (Doctoral dissertation, University of West Florida).
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Packalen, M., & Bhattacharya, J. (2019). Age and the trying out of new ideas. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 11(1), 137–152. https://doi.org/10.1086/703160
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Pejić Bach, M., Aleksić, A., & Merkac-Skok, M. (2018). Examining determinants of entrepreneurial intentions in Slovenia: Applying the theory of planned behaviour and an innovative cognitive style. Economic Research-Ekonomska istraživanja, 31(1), 1453–1471. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2018.1478321
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Pilav-Velić, A., Selimović, J., & Jahić, H. (2020). Personal innovativeness and employability: How personal traits affect employer attractiveness. In A. Karasavvoglou et al. (Eds.), Eurasian business perspectives (pp. 23–32). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48505-4_2
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Ram, S., & Sheth, J. N. (1989). Consumer resistance to innovations: The marketing problem and its solutions. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 6(2), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000002542
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). Free Press.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Yi, M. Y., Jackson, J. D., Park, J. S., & Probst, J. C. (2006). Understanding information technology acceptance by individual professionals: Toward an integrative view. Information & Management, 43(3), 350–363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2005.08.006
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Wedel, M., & Kamakura, W. A. (2000). Market segmentation: Conceptual and methodological foundations (2nd ed.). Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Zlatanović, D., Nikolić, J., Potočan, V., & Erić Nielsen, J. (2024). What drives innovativeness in higher education? Evidence from two emerging markets. Kybernetes, 53(12), 5402–5420. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-01-2023-0127
Search in Google Scholar Back to article

Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/crdj-2026-0006 | Journal eISSN: 2718-4978

Journal RSS Feed

Language: English

Page range: 73 - 92

Submitted on: Jan 10, 2026

Accepted on: Mar 18, 2026

Published on: May 8, 2026

Published by: Međimurje University of Applied Sciences in Čakovec

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 2 issues per year

Keywords:

Personal innovativeness,

cluster analysis,

principal component analysis,

innovation profiles,

socio-demographic differences,

Croatia,

innovation and development

Related subjects:

Computer sciences,

Programming and languages,

Business and economics,

Business management,

Management, organization, corporate governance,

Engineering,

Mechanical engineering,

Fundamentals of mechanical engineering,

Life sciences,

Ecology

© 2026 Dinko Primorac, published by Međimurje University of Applied Sciences in Čakovec
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Volume 7 (2026): Issue 1 (April 2026)