Lone Inventor

The lone inventor is an individual working outside or inside an organization who is committed to the invention of a novel product and often becomes isolated because he or she is engrossed with ideas that imply change and are resisted by others.

Lone inventors are characterised as having ideas that completely new and different. They can struggle, though, for the following reasons:

• new ideas may be resisted by other employees or superiors.

• they may not fully understand the importance of the marketing and sales needs for their product

• usually work in isolation and thus may not have sufficient backing or support for their design. 

• may lack the financial support necessary to develop or invest in manufacturing, distribution, and marketing

Product Champion

The product champion is an influential individual, usually working within an organization, who develops enthusiasm for a particular idea or invention and “champions” it within the organization.

Product champions know the customers and have a deep understanding of how the product successfully meets their needs. They tend to work well with a variety of people, and demonstrate a willingness to learn. In a team, a product champion's chief role it to persuade others of the importance a product. These people might be financiers who might invest in new equipment, politicians who could help with regulatory and practical issues, or other individuals or groups outside of the product development team who are necessary for the successful implementation of a product. 

In the case of Thomas Edison, he needed to convince various levels of government to allow for the larges-scale construction of power and lighting systems. Edison also needed to persuade investors to provide financial backing to build these systems, as well as factory owners of the benefits of electrical lighting in their factors.

Entrepreneur

The entrepreneur is an influential individual who can take an invention to market, often by financing the development, production and diffusion of a product into the marketplace.

Entrepreneurs typically have strong business acumen and interpersonal relationships that they can use to bring a product to market. 

In some cases, the inventor is also the product champion and the entrepreneur. To occupy these multiple roles, though, requires specific skills. However, in most cases, it is unlikely that a lone inventor has expertise in multiple areas

Most modern products are very complex and use a variety of materials, processes, and technologies. For this reason, designs are often developed by multidisciplinary teams. Smartphones are a good example. The product requires knowledge of advanced materials, cutting edge manufacturing processes, user-centered design research strategies, user interface design, battery technology, camera optics, etc. Design and production of such a complex product is only possible with a multidisciplinary team.

Advantages

• draw from multiple areas of expertise to address different aspects of the design

• wide range of knowledge can be applied to the design

• combination of different perspectives can create innovative solutions

Disadvantages

• an individual may be reluctant to share ideas for fear of losing ownership

• miscommunication can happen, especially with large teams working in different locations

• individuals may not like working in a team