An article in HarvardBusiness.org today examines inventor, innovator and entrepreneur — terms often used interchangeably, but which the article’s author puts forth are fundamentally different. The article suggests that each term refers to “different links in the total value-chain of progress.”
Inventors: Idea-oriented who solve problems in a non-linear way
Entrepreneurs: Action-oriented who solve problems in a non-linear way
Innovators: Can solve problems in either a non-linear way (“revolutionary” ideas) or linear way (“evolutionary” ideas, aka make incremental improvements)
Examples of non-linear innovations include the automobile and the Internet. Along the same theme lines, examples of linear innovations would be better engines and more efficient programming languages.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Are You an Inventor, Innovator or Entrepreneur? | Bostinnovation: Boston Innovation, Start-ups and Tech News
Author:Cheryl Morris
