How big is each segment? Rogers went as far as assigning precise notional percentages foreach segment:
Innovators: 2.5%
Early Adopters: 13.5%
Early majority: 34%
Late majority 34%
Laggards 16% 10
However the “20:60:20 Rule” is a good allpurpose rule of thumb.
When designing a change project you need to know one vital fact: the percentage in
a given social system who have already taken up the innovation. That figure tells
you which segment you are addressing next. It gives you great insight into how to
design your project and how to pitch your communications.
Of course, no one is an innovator or a laggard about all new ideas. That would
be too exhausting. In reality, most people are majorities about most things, and only
innovators or laggards about certain specific things. We wouldn’t say “John is a laggard”,we’d say “John is an iPhone laggard” or “George Bush snr is a broccoli laggard”.
Reading
The standard text is Everett M. Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations, Fifth Edition 2003,Free Press, New York. It’s thorough, readable,and strongly recommended for anyone who’s serious about making change.