The politics of innovation: why innovations need a godfather

Smith, D ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7359-8451, 2007. The politics of innovation: why innovations need a godfather. Technovation, 27 (3), pp. 95-104. ISSN 0166-4972

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Abstract

Innovation is closely linked to the development of technology. Hence it is often assumed that when an innovation fails it is the technology that is at fault. While this may be true in many instances, there are occasions when it is not the technology that is at fault, rather, it is managerial and organisational aspects that cause problems and lead to failure. Studies have shown that individuals who take on specific roles can play an important part in avoiding these problems. These roles include the technological gatekeeper, the product champion and the sponsor/coach. In addition to these roles, this paper argues that there is another, namely that of godfather. With this role a highly respected, senior figure within an organisation provides support that is critical in ensuring the project overcomes the hurdles that lie in the path of any major new development. The nature of the godfather role is explored through three case studies. These provide examples of the role and show how it can facilitate the innovation process.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Technovation
Creators:	Smith, D.
Publisher:	Elsevier (not including Cell Press)
Place of Publication:	Amsterdam
Date:	2007
Volume:	27
Number:	3
ISSN:	0166-4972
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1016/j.technovation.2006.05.001 DOI
Rights:	© 2007 Elsevier B.V.
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Business School
Record created by:	EPrints Services
Date Added:	09 Oct 2015 10:38
Last Modified:	09 Jun 2017 13:35
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/15833

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