Innovation agents

Who are these innovators? How do they think and act? Answers to these questions are presented in the form of fascinating life stories. Today, the majority of innovative projects—including the creation of products, services, and companies—are carried out by teams composed primarily of three distinct yet complementary categories of innovators: entrepreneurs who share their vision, facilitators who support them creatively, and intrapreneurs who continually innovate within the organizations that employ them. This book presents six remarkable life stories and suggests exercises to help readers prepare to become agents of innovation.

ENTREPRENEURS
Coco Chanel was the first woman to create products aimed at the global market.
Alain Bouchard first opened a convenience store. Through Couche-Tard/Circle K, he went on to manage more than 15,000 of them, employing 130,000 people in more than 30 countries.

THE FACILITATORS
Réal Plourde played a major role in helping to bring Alain Bouchard’s vision to life.
Pierre Nelis helped bring to market software that revolutionized the film industry through the production of movies such as *Jurassic Park*. After his time at Microsoft, he developed a one-of-a-kind external facilitation system at Inno-centre.

INTRAPRENEURS
Elmar Mock created Swatch and RockWatch, and later founded Creaholic, his company focused on providing external support to foster inventiveness and the creation of innovations.
Emerson de Almeida, a journalist turned intrapreneur, co-founded the Fundação Dom Cabral, which has become a leading institution in continuing education in management in Brazil.
The last part of the book includes a series of exercises designed for people from all disciplines to help them develop a mindset that fosters innovation.