by Braden Kelley
Too often we treat people as commodities that are interchangeable and maintain the same characteristics and aptitudes. Of course, we know that people are not interchangeable, yet we continually pretend that they are anyway — to make life simpler for our reptile brain to comprehend.
I’m of the opinion that all people are creative, in their own way. That is not to say that all people are creative in the sense that every single person is good at creating lots of really great ideas, nor do they have to be. I believe instead that everyone has a dominant innovation role at which they excel, and that when properly identified and channeled, the organization stands to maximize its innovation capacity. I believe that all people excel at one of Nine Innovation Roles, and that when organizations put the right people in the right innovation roles, that your innovation speed and capacity will increase.
The Nine Innovation Roles as a concept were introduced in my bestselling book Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire and people have always asked me if I had a quiz people could take to see what their primary and secondary roles are and my answer has always been NO, until now, when thanks to Claude I’ve been able to create one for the world to enjoy. I think it turned out pretty well and I’ve embedded it here in this article and also create a Nine Innovation Roles Quiz sub-page for it live on in perpetuity.
I hope you enjoy it!
Discover Your
Innovation Role
Answer 20 questions to uncover where you add the most value in any innovation effort. Based on Braden Kelley’s Nine Innovation Roles framework.
Hover over a card to preview each role · Cards courtesy of Braden Kelley / 9roles.com
The Nine Innovation Roles
If you’re not familiar with the Nine Innovation Roles, they are:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Artist
The Artist doesn’t always come up with great ideas, but artists are really good at making them better..
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Judge
The Judge is really good at determining what can be made profitably and what will be successful in the marketplace..
8. 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..
9. 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.So, which one(s) resonate most with you? Want to find out if you’re right? Take the quiz!
Free Stuff
If you go to the main Nine Innovation Roles page you’ll find all kinds of free downloads and sub pages, including:
- Nine Innovation Roles pages in Spanish, Portuguese, French and Swedish (and I’m always happy to give credit and link to anyone willing to translate them into other languages)
- Nine Innovation Roles card design to download for printing with adMagic (or your vendor)
- Nine Innovation Roles downloadable presentation
- Nine Innovation Roles team worksheet
- Nine Innovation Roles introductory video to use in workshops
- This Nine Innovation Roles Quiz!
Keep innovating!
Click here to access your Nine Innovation Roles freebies
Image Credits: Braden Kelley, Google Gemini