Synonyms
The term of innovator is not specified in the economic works. Since some decades, this term has appeared in political statements or journalistic papers.
The nearest concept is entrepreneur and sometimes inventor or even growth leader. Since Cantillon, in the eighteenth century, the entrepreneur has been a man who manages its own business and takes risk. In his book “Theory of economic development” (1911), Schumpeter used this word for the “capitaines d’industrie” who innovate. So he began confusion between the two concepts of entrepreneur and innovator. Today, it appears there are two distinct words for one single concept: the nearly academic word of entrepreneur conceptualized by Schumpeter and the commonly used term of innovator.
This short study will clarify the differences between entrepreneur and innovator and will specify the characteristics and the functions of an innovator.
Definitions
Innovation
To define an innovator, one needs a clear...
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Noailles, P. (2013). Innovator. In: Carayannis, E.G. (eds) Encyclopedia of Creativity, Invention, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3858-8_412
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