The Nine Innovation Roles is a concept introduced in the popular book 'Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire' by Braden Kelley and published by John Wiley & Sons in October 2010. It focuses on the role(s) that everyone plays in the success of an organization's innovation efforts - that it is not about whether someone is innovative or not - but how they can contribute to innovation. Everyone has a role to play in successful innovation. This presentation is provided for download for non-commercial purposes. Service providers need a license to use it in paid workshops. Please visit 9ROLES.COM for more information on licensing this presentation for commercial use or booking a workshop with Braden Kelley.

1. The Nine Innovation Roles
Connector Troubleshooter
Revolutionary
Judge
Artist
Conscript
Customer Champion
Magic Maker Evangelist
*This presentation is provided for non-commercial purposes
Service providers need a license to use it in paid workshops © Braden Kelley 2010

2. Break Down the Innovation Silos
Too often in our
organizations we think
about staffing our
innovation projects in
terms of silos or
departments, instead of
the roles that need to be
filled for a product or
service to be successfully
completed, launched, and
widely adopted in the
marketplace. © Braden Kelley 2010

3. Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire
This content is an excerpt from Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire by Braden Kelley
Innovation is never easy – and
not always welcome. This book
is dedicated to the men and
women who dedicate their lives
to pushing our organizations to
make more efficient use of our
human capital and natural
resources and to make the
world a better place
© Braden Kelley 2010

4. Nine Innovation Roles Group Diagnostic
Download the
design for FREE
http://sdrv.ms/YXFP47
to print at cost
with adMagic
or locally with
your printer.
© Braden Kelley 2010

5. The Nine Innovation Roles
Innovation is
about the people
© Braden Kelley 2010

6. The Nine Innovation Roles
Revolutionary
• The Revolutionary is the person who is always
eager to change things, to shake them up, and
to share his or her opinion. These people tend
to have a lot of great ideas and are not shy
about sharing them. They are likely to
contribute 80 to 90 percent of your ideas in
open scenarios.
© Braden Kelley 2010

7. The Nine Innovation Roles
Artist
• The Artist doesn’t always come up with great
ideas, but artists are really good at making
them better.
© Braden Kelley 2010

8. The Nine Innovation Roles
Troubleshooter
• Every great idea has at least one or two major
roadblocks to overcome before the idea is
ready to be judged or before its magic can be
made. This is where the Troubleshooter comes
in. Troubleshooters love tough problems and
often have the deep knowledge or expertise
to help solve them.
© Braden Kelley 2010

9. The Nine Innovation Roles
Conscript
• The Conscript has a lot of great ideas but
doesn’t willingly share them, either because
such people don’t know anyone is looking for
ideas, don’t know how to express their ideas,
prefer to keep their head down and execute,
or all three. This is the majority.
© Braden Kelley 2010

10. The Nine Innovation Roles
Customer Champion
• The Customer Champion may live on the edge
of the organization. Not only does he have
constant contact with the customer, but he
also understands their needs, is familiar with
their actions and behaviors, and is as close as
you can get to interviewing a real customer
about a nascent idea.
© Braden Kelley 2010

11. The Nine Innovation Roles
Connector
• The Connector does just that. These people
hear a Conscript say something interesting
and put him together with a Revolutionary;
The Connector listens to the Artist and knows
exactly where to find the Troubleshooter that
his idea needs.
© Braden Kelley 2010

12. The Nine Innovation Roles
Judge
• The Judge is really good at determining what
can be made profitably and what will be
successful in the marketplace.
© Braden Kelley 2010

13. The Nine Innovation Roles
Magic Maker
• The Magic Makers take an idea and make it
real. These are the people who can picture
how something is going to be made and line
up the right resources to make it happen.
© Braden Kelley 2010

14. The Nine Innovation Roles
Evangelist
• The Evangelists know how to educate people
on what the idea is and help them understand
it. Evangelists are great people to help build
support for an idea internally, and also to help
educate customers on its value.
© Braden Kelley 2010

15. The Nine Innovation Roles
How do you organize your
Innovation teams for success?

16. Nine Innovation Roles Group Diagnostic
So what questions
should we ask when
we conduct a
Nine Innovation Roles
workshop?
© Braden Kelley 2010

17. Question 1
What kind of innovator are you?
Connector
Revolutionary Troubleshooter
Artist Judge
Conscript
Customer Champion
Magic Maker Evangelist
© Braden Kelley 2010

18. Question 2
Which of these roles is most
scarce in your organization?
Connector
Revolutionary Troubleshooter
Artist Judge
Conscript
Customer Champion
Magic Maker Evangelist
© Braden Kelley 2010

19. Question 3
Which roles are missing on your team?
© Braden Kelley 2010

20. Question 4
What is the impact of those missing roles?
© Braden Kelley 2010

21. Question 5
How should you organize your
innovation teams for success?
Connector
Revolutionary Troubleshooter
Artist Judge
Conscript
Customer Champion
Magic Maker Evangelist
© Braden Kelley 2010

22. Nine Innovation Roles Group Diagnostic
Download the
design for FREE
http://sdrv.ms/YXFP47
to print at cost
with adMagic
or locally with
your printer.
© Braden Kelley 2010

23. Or contact me for a workshop/keynote
“To be a rock star, you have to
play music people want to
listen to…and pay for.”
- @innovate
© Braden Kelley 2010
*This presentation is provided for non-commercial purposes
Service providers need a license to use it in paid workshops
Here is where to find me:
Braden Kelley
+1 (206) 349-8931
book@bradenkelley.com
http://innovationbonfire.com