Change and innovation theory

I work under the Dean of IT and Business Administration.  There are a total of 2 of us in the IT department.  My co-worker Kevin and I communicate very well, and very often.  If we agree that a simple change would benefit our students, we would present our idea to our Dean and often time he allows us to proceed. For example, I recently went to the Dean and requested a different text book to use in the Database class I teach, the one previously in use was starting to get a little dated.  As long as the course outcomes remain constant, a new textbook is welcomed.

However, outside of the IT department, I have recently discovered that 'change' is a lot harder to come by.   At the beginning of this school year I proposed a request for wireless internet access for the students.  This is not a simple request, there are 2 primary concerns involved: cost and security.

Upon completion of this unit's readings, game playing and discussion I know understand that the issue is not with the technology, but rather with how I presented the request.  I need to communicate with the right channels and convince those involved that in the long run this will benefit not only the students, but the staff and the system administrator as well.  The request may take some time to get approved and implemented, but I have no doubt it will happen.