Stakeholders in Invention and Innovation
Essential idea: There are three key roles in invention and innovation, which can be shared by or more people.
The Inventor, the Product Champion, the Entrepreneur
Inventor
The lone inventor is an individual working outside or inside an organization who is committed to the invention of a novel product and often becomes isolated because he or she is engrossed with ideas that imply change and are resisted by others.
They are:
- Individuals with a goal of the complete invention of a new and somewhat revolutionary product
- Have ideas that are completely new and different
- May not comprehend or give sufficient care to the marketing and sales of there product.
- Are usually isolated, and have no backing towards their design.
- Are having a harder time to push forward their designs, especially in a market where large investments are required for success.
- Are often resisted by other employees and workers
Product Champion
The product champion is an influential individual, usually working within an organization, who develops enthusiasm for a particular idea or invention and 'champions' it within the organization.
Entrepreneur
The entrepreneur is an influential individual who can take an invention to market, often by financing the development, production, and diffusion of a product into the marketplace.
On occasion, the inventor is also the product champion and / or the entrepreneur.
Effective design draws from multiple areas of expertise, and this can be utilized at different stages of product development. Most products are now extremely complex and rely on expertise from various disciplines. Most designs are developed by multidisciplinary team , such as modern products like smart-phones and printers.
It would be unlikely that a lone inventor would have the expertise in all the disciplines.
A Multidisciplinary Approach to Innovation
Nowadays, most modern day designs are developed in multidisciplinary teams because of the varying types of skillsets required to design a product. Most products are now extremely complex and rely on expertise from various disciplines.
Advantages
- Wide range of knowledge that others may not have considered
- Wide range of expertise and/or backgrounds that foster cross-fertilization of ideas
- Wide range of expertise means that products are designed from different perspectives.
Disadvantages
- May not want to share ideas for fear of losing ownership
- Individual may not be used to working in teams
- Different working styles and speed
- Chance of miscommunication
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