John Adair's 100 Greatest Ideas for Effective Leadership

Idea 60: The seven key players in innovation

It is worth identifying some of the key players who, if they were all present within an organization, would surely make it unbeatable.

1. Creative thinker – produces new and original ideas.
2. Innovator – brings new products/services to the market or changes existing ones.
3. Inventor – produces new and commercial ideas.
4. Entrepreneur – conceives of or receives ideas and translates them into business reality to exploit a market opportunity.
5. Intrapreneur – responsible for innovation within an organization.
6. Champion – determination and commitment to implement an idea.
7. Sponsor – backs an idea and helps remove obstacles.

Successful businesses run on positive change. Effective innovation requires:

• A blend of new ...