Journal of Business Communication

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here for more information

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Meyer, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Journal of Business Communication, Vol. 37, No. 4, 328-347 (2000)
DOI: 10.1177/002194360003700401

Innovation Roles: From Souls of Fire to Devil's Advocates

Marcy Meyer

Ball State University, Muncie, IN

The innovation literature suggests a number of proactive roles (e.g., idea genera tor, idea champion, and orchestrator) that organizational members can play in the development and implementation of innovations. This study examines self-report data gathered at two points in time from organizational members (N = 90) within the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service (CIS), a geographi cally-dispersed federal government health information and education network that is piloting innovative intervention strategies to disseminate cancer information to the public. Unexpectedly, results indicate that those who have the power to cham pion innovation are also capable of challenging it, suggesting the existence of a new innovation role held by organizational members who object to innovation adoption or innovation: the devil's advocate. The discussion explores implications for research and practice that challenge traditional notions about roles that people play in the innovation process.

Key Words: Champions • Devil's Advocates • Health Communication • Innovation • Roles


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?