The pivotal role of the adoption network in an innovation's ultimate success or failure is explored. This has implications for the potential gap between expectations and the pace of progress caused by the introduction of innovations. Two examples are given of the experience that innovations in present-day markets have with their adoption networks. Next follows a discussion of the rationale for why the network exerts such influence over innovation's progress in markets. Then the framework that results from this rationale is applied to expose the factors governing wider adoption of technologies that have the potential to spawn many innovations. Revealing these factors has implications for policymakers and strategists in planning and proactively managing the progress of innovations and new technologies. © 2004 Published by Elsevier Ltd.